“Are you really saying I can go ahead with it?”

“Of course. I said I needed them. Pick out obedient ones and send them. But there’s a condition.”

“What kind of condition?”

“Unquestioning obedience to my orders.”

“Hm…”

Baek Jinhwa bit her lip and poked at her food with her chopsticks, clearly deep in thought. She had no idea what I planned to do with the Hao Clan members or what my true intentions were.

After a moment, she put her chopsticks down and looked at me.

“Is this… another deal?”

“Of course. There’s no way I’d use the Hao Clan for free.”

“Then fine. A deal with you usually comes with hefty returns.”

Her eyes gleamed as she licked her lips.

Right now, the money in my pouch probably looked tastier than the food on the table. That’s the kind of people the Hao Clan were.

Besides, this was an opportunity for her to get internal information about the Luoyang Jin family.

With this twofold benefit, she had no reason to refuse.

“I’ll send them at the right time. You can settle the payment later.”

“Good. And one more thing.”

“There’s more?”

“I want a jade pass from the Hao Clan.”

Her eyes widened at the word jade pass. She was clearly shocked, but quickly composed herself and studied my face.

After collecting her thoughts, she burst out laughing.

“Hahaha—how do you even know about that?”

“I have plenty of ears around. Don’t underestimate the information network of the Luoyang Jin family.”

The jade pass was essentially a high-level access token that allowed one to enter Hao Clan’s secret facilities. It started from the lowest tier, the copper pass, then silver, gold, and finally jade — the highest tier that was rarely given to anyone.

And no, I didn’t know about it because of the Luoyang Jin family’s intelligence network.

I knew… because I had experienced it myself.

Back then, I had managed to escape from a hellish place, one I had entered without even a single token.

“But to ask for the jade pass directly, not even the gold… That’s quite surprising. We rarely give that out.”

“Is there something you want in return?”

“…Of course. If you want a jade pass, you’ll need to offer something of great value.”

I nodded. I had expected that demand.

Among those connected to the Hao Clan, fewer than a dozen even held a jade pass — that’s how rare they were.

I smiled faintly.

“How about this?”

“What is it?”

“I’ll wipe out the Black Ox Society.”

“…!”

“A group from the underworld, just like the Hao Clan. But lately, they’ve been encroaching on your operations. They’re too weak for you to attack directly, but too annoying to ignore. I’ll take care of them.”

The Black Ox Society.

A criminal organization formed by the lowest of the low in the Central Plains. In structure, they might seem similar to the Hao Clan — but they were vastly different.

While the Hao Clan gathered and sold information, the Black Ox Society was made up of all sorts of criminals: bandits, pirates, kidnappers, even traffickers. Most of them had bounties on their heads. It was the worst organization in the Central Plains — willing to do anything as long as the price was right.

Lately, they had even started tampering with the Hao Clan’s source of income — their information business. So of course, Baek Jinhwa would want to eliminate them before they grew any further.

“Hahaha—today is full of surprises. Hearing that the young master of the Jin family plans to wipe out the Black Ox Society…”

“I’d say that’s a fair trade, don’t you think? If you don’t trust me, we can write up a contract.”

She shook her head.

A contract was meaningless.

The Luoyang Jin family had overwhelming power, wealth, and influence. Even with a contract, no one could hold me accountable if I broke it.

She knew that better than anyone.

Then, smiling, Baek Jinhwa reached into her robe and pulled something out.

A round jade token.

“I hope my gamble pays off.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll take some time, but soon, you won’t even hear their name again.”

“Haha—I made a mistake. I forgot to set a deadline.”

A mistake?

No, she likely knew that I wouldn’t be able to resolve it immediately. That’s why she hadn’t even considered setting a deadline.

And even if I didn’t fulfill my promise, she’d surely find a way to extract the value of the jade pass some other way.

I accepted the jade pass with a grin and looked at her.

“Eat up. The food is quite good today.”

“Haha—then I’ll enjoy it.”

“Wow—I honestly didn’t understand a single thing.”

Once Baek Jinhwa had left and we exited the guesthouse, Jang Chuhyung finally let loose the words he’d been holding in.

Despite hearing so many things, he clearly couldn’t comprehend any of it — a pity, really.

“Who was that woman? You guys kept talking about a deal. Did you and she make some kind of trade?”

“Forget everything that happened today. Don’t go blabbing about it anywhere.”

“It’s not like I understood much anyway. I was too busy eating. But I did see you give her a lot of money… just like last time.”

“It was worth it.”

“More than that expensive meal?”

“Yes.”

Jang Chuhyung sighed, looking disappointed.

A lot of food and drink had been left behind. Since neither Baek Jinhwa nor I had gone there to eat, most of our time was spent talking.

Though he ate most of the food himself, the leftover dishes still seemed to haunt him.

Maybe I should’ve told him to pack the leftovers.

“Well, anyway… It looks like you’re preparing something big. So shouldn’t I be doing something too? If I want to be helpful to you.”

His eyes sparkled with determination.

He must’ve been frustrated, thinking I didn’t trust him enough to involve him in the recent incident.

I smiled.

“You may not realize it, but you’re already helping a lot. And you’ll be even more helpful in the future.”

“Hehehe! Really? Ah, you’ve got to say stuff like that more often!”

“You’re happy?”

“Of course! If I’m helping you, how could I not be?”

I looked at him quietly.

Jang Chuhyung had immense strength. He had been abandoned because of it. Even without martial arts, he could overpower a third-rate warrior.

And if someone like that learned martial arts properly… he’d be a huge asset.

He was, even in my previous life.

“Come with me.”

“Huh? Where are we going?”

I ignored his question and headed back the way we came, toward a detached hall far within the estate — one rarely visited.

It was a quiet place, unused by others.

As I opened the door, a cloud of dust burst up.

“Cough! Damn… do they not clean unless we touch the place ourselves?”

Jang Chuhyung fanned the air, annoyed. Even if it was a deserted area, it was absurd to leave it in such a state.

Still, this was no ordinary place.

It was the library — where the Luoyang Jin family’s martial arts manuals were kept.

Despite being a merchant family, the Jin clan clearly had martial aspirations. The number of manuals here was overwhelming.

Martial arts everywhere.

I stepped inside, brushing away the dust.

“Why are we here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? To find a martial arts manual.”

“A manual?”

“Yes.”

I nodded and scanned the room.

It looked like the archive of a major sect — but most of it was junk.

Techniques bought from ruined families, incomplete or fake ones, or useless gifts from the royal family.

But not all of them were trash.

With some effort, a gem or two could be found.

I looked at Jang Chuhyung.

“You’re strong, right?”

“My strength? Well… I’ve never lost to anyone, not even an ox.”

“I heard that strength got you abandoned.”

“Oh, I don’t remember. Something about being a child warrior or whatever…”

“And even with that strength, you never thought to learn martial arts?”

“Chief Baek offered to teach me, but I refused. I wanted to stay by your side. The family head brought me to serve you.”

He said it casually but with a bitter expression.

Bad memories from childhood.

I smiled faintly and nodded.

Now, which one would be best?

I already knew the answer.

I was here to give him some structure — at least until we met him.

I started searching the shelves.

“It should be around here…”

Eventually, I found it.

Twelve Explosive Fists (십이폭권).

A martial art once famous in its prime.

Though the family that created it had been wiped out, this version was complete — unlike many others.

It also included the internal energy technique: Twelve Heavenly Skills (십이천공).

Both would be useful before meeting him.

“Learn this.”

“Huh? Me? Martial arts?”

“Yes. Don’t want to?”

“No, I’ll do it! If you say so, I will. But why all of a sudden?”

“After what happened recently, how can you ask that? It could happen again.”

At that, his eyes changed.

Crack.

He clenched his fists, clearly enraged.

Bad memories… but he understood the need.

“Can you do it?”

“I must! I need to be helpful to you more than anyone else!”

“Exactly. You understand well.”

He looked bright, encouraged by my words.

He hugged the two manuals tightly to his chest like they were treasures.

“I’ll help as much as I can, but in the end, it’s up to you. Don’t forget that.”

“Don’t worry! I’ll become the strongest under the heavens and beat up anyone who messes with you!”

I chuckled.

I didn’t expect that much.

As long as he grew strong enough to protect himself and be helpful, that was enough.

It would certainly make things easier.

I nodded and led him out of the library.

Now then…

I fiddled with the jade pass in my sleeve and smiled.

Now that I’ve trained someone, it’s time to gather people.