Chapter 138: Now Is the Ti to Choose. -03
The mont he heard Ban Hojin’s words, Geum Harun felt his heart tilt sharply.
And he recognized his own feelings as well.
Before being a rchant, he too was a man of the Central Plains.
That was why he did not wish to bow his head to the forces of the Neo-Outer Murim.
“I will trust you.”
“You will not be disappointed, Estate Lord.”
With this choice, it was possible that not only he but the Geum Family Estate could suffer great losses.
However, the art of navigating circumstances was one of the things he did best.
If he supported the Orthodox Martial World, that was one thing—but if he refrained from lending his strength to either side, then when the worst situation arrived, he would at least have so room to make excuses.
Of course, the best outco would be for things to unfold exactly as Ban Hojin had said.
“I will trust you, Great Hero Ban.”
“Even if, by chance, things go wrong, the damage to you will not be severe, Estate Lord.”
“I hope such a thing does not happen.”
“I hope so as well. That is why I am doing my utmost. In my own way, at least.”
“Others may not know, but I do. And I have heard that Young Master Jeong’s master is an extraordinary expert. I have also heard that it was you, Great Hero Ban, who brought the two of them out into the world.”
At first, he had wondered why Ban Hojin moved the way he did. Now he understood.
As the scattered pieces fell into place one by one, the reason beca clear.
That was why Geum Harun had been shocked when he first learned the truth.
It ant that when no one else knew, only Ban Hojin had known.
“It simply happened that way. You could say fate brought us together.”
“Hm. Is that so?”
Geum Harun asked back with a peculiar expression.
As though what he felt differed from that explanation.
But Ban Hojin was no easy opponent.
Even knowing the man was suspicious, he deliberately feigned ignorance.
“I shall take my leave now. You must be busy, yet you made ti for . Thank you, Estate Lord.”
“Not at all. For a matter like this, one must make ti even if there is none. However, I too have one wish. Even if it is not for business, I hope you will visit from ti to ti.”
“I will do so.”
“You promise?”
Seeing Ban Hojin agree so readily, Geum Harun brightened and asked again, as if he wished he could draft a contract on the spot.
“Of course. In all my life, I have never once failed to keep a promise.”
“Hahaha. Then next ti, I shall prepare even better tea.”
“It need not be expensive tea.”
“Then I shall prepare sothing rare.”
In Ban Hojin’s view, expensive tea or rare tea were much the sa.
Yet in a way, this too could be considered a gesture of sincerity, so he said nothing further on the matter.
He rely smiled faintly and rose from his seat.
“I will visit again next ti, Estate Lord.”
“It may be that I am the one who visits you, Great Hero Ban.”
“If that happens, it would be my honor.”
“My honor, you say?”
Geum Harun waved his hand with a smile.
If he was a giant of the Central Plains Comrcial World, then Ban Hojin was a giant of Murim.
Thus, the word honor did not quite fit.
Click.
With a sowhat lengthy farewell, the door closed, and Ban Hojin disappeared from view.
At the sa ti, Geum Harun’s expression changed as well.
But unlike before, it was not one of frustration.
Rather, it seed at ease.
Nan Hee-ju glanced sideways at Ban Hojin.
She could not understand why he had requested a private audience with her master.
It was not as though the Hao Sect had made any mistake toward Ban Hojin, his party, or Shaolin Temple.
Their relationship with the Beggars’ Sect and the Geum Family Estate was not bad either.
‘What on earth could it be?’
Curiosity deepened in Nan Hee-ju’s eyes.
The Ban Hojin she knew was not soone who moved without purpose.
Every action of his had a clear reason.
Looking back, that had been true of all his actions thus far.
“Why are you acting so secretive?”
“Why am I the only one being left out?”
“It’s not about leaving you out. I just thought it was right to speak with the Sect Leader first.”
“Is it that serious?”
“That depends on how you see it.”
Nan Hee-ju made a puzzled expression.
She wanted to speculate, but there were too few clues. It was all too vague.
Yet even seeing her expression, Ban Hojin offered no further explanation.
“We’re here, aren’t we?”
“Tell too.”
“Alright. If things go well with the Sect Leader.”
“You’re being awfully mysterious today.”
“When you find out later, you’ll understand why I’m like this.”
As Ban Hojin continued to speak in ways that only deepened the mystery, Nan Hee-ju pouted.
But she knew as well.
Such displays of charm did not work on Ban Hojin at all.
If a honey trap had worked, she would have long since secured her place at his side.
Knock knock knock.
“Master. I’ve brought Oppa.”
“Bring him in.”
“Yes.”
Out of habit, Nan Hee-ju adjusted her clothes and slowly opened the door to the reception room.
It was one of the places used as a safe house. Though it was not used often, surprisingly many of the items bore signs of frequent handling.
That ant that even when neither the Hao Sect Leader nor Nan Hee-ju visited, it was maintained daily.
“Welco, Great Hero Ban.”
“It has been a while.”
“I’ll step out.”
After glancing once at the two who were exchanging greetings, Nan Hee-ju spoke with a slightly sulky expression and turned around.
She displayed her disappointnt with her whole body.
Yet neither Ban Hojin nor the Hao Sect Leader tried to soothe her or say anything further.
Bang!
At the faintly disgruntled sound of the door closing, Ban Hojin and the Hao Sect Leader both let out quiet chuckles.
However, Nan Hee-ju’s expression of dissatisfaction did not end with the door.
Deliberately making her footsteps audible as she moved farther away, Nan Hee-ju’s actions made the Hao Sect Leader click her tongue and slowly shake her head.
“She’s still a child.”
“In a few years, you may find yourself missing that 모습.”
“Hohoho. So you’ve been watching over our Hee-ju not as an oppa, but with a father’s heart, Great Hero Ban?”
“It isn’t always the woman who is more mature. Though, generally speaking, that tends to be the case.”
“I think it simply ans she holds you close.”
The Hao Sect Leader smiled benevolently.
Though not her biological child, Nan Hee-ju was as good as a daughter to her.
She had raised her from a very young age.
That was why the Hao Sect Leader knew very well how Nan Hee-ju felt about Ban Hojin.
“I believe so as well. And I’m grateful for it.”
“If Hee-ju had heard you say that, she would have been overjoyed.”
“I do express it from ti to ti. Whether she notices it, I’m not sure.”
“n are like that, but won are too—you have to express it directly for them to know. And even if they do know, they like it more when you say it outright. In truth, this is the first ti I’ve seen Hee-ju act that way toward a man.”
“Is that so.”
Ban Hojin understood what the Hao Sect Leader was implying, but he did not show it.
The mont he did, he knew the direction of the conversation would turn sowhere he did not want it to go.
Unlike Namgung Ho, who spoke bluntly, this subtle way of hinting at things was even harder for Ban Hojin to handle.
If soone spoke openly, he could draw a clear line in response. But when soone circled around the matter ambiguously like the Hao Sect Leader, that beca difficult.
“By the way, though it’s late, thank you. Thanks to the Blue and Red Twin Fiends, we were able to clear out the trash that had been gnawing away at the Main Sect. Of course, because of that, I also feel apologetic.”
“It’s fine. The outco was good, was it not? And if it were enough to be undone by such a petty sche, I would not have begun in the first place.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
The Hao Sect Leader smiled brightly.
She was grateful that he said as much, even out of courtesy.
Anyone else would have tried to leave behind so sort of debt to be repaid, but Ban Hojin remained far removed from that sort.
And so she hoped he would not change in the future.
“To be honest, that process was sothing I needed as well. Rather than an untrustworthy ally, I required one I could trust. Of course, friendships may grow closer or drift apart depending on the tis.”
“That last remark sounds rather aningful. More importantly, you say it was necessary for you? I’m curious as to why.”
Swish.
The Hao Sect Leader’s expression stiffened slightly.
From Ban Hojin’s silence before answering, she sensed an unusual atmosphere.
Of course, she had anticipated it to so degree.
There was no way Ban Hojin would request a private audience without reason.
“Have you not received a proposal from the Neo-Outer Murim forces?”
“So you did know.”
“You must have guessed why I ca.”
“Not exactly. But when the first contact was made, I had a feeling you would already know, Great Hero Ban.”
Though it had been an abrupt question, the Hao Sect Leader’s reaction differed from Geum Harun’s.
Rather, with a relaxed expression, she slowly sipped her tea.
“?”
“Yes. There were matters you knew that neither the Beggars’ Sect nor the Geum Family Estate did. So I was prepared to so extent. The Geum Family Estate and the Beggars’ Sect likely think similarly.”
“Hm.”
Ban Hojin nodded.
Given his actions thus far, suspicion was only natural.
Perhaps there were even places that had investigated him without his knowledge.
“For your reference, the Main Sect did not. If your identity had been uncertain, that would be one thing, but it was not. I had no desire to pry into Hee-ju’s friend.”
“Thank you.”
“You trusting my words makes even more grateful. Hohoho.”
To ease the slightly heavy atmosphere, the Hao Sect Leader deliberately spoke in a lighter tone.
But her words carried sincerity.
“Have you made your decision?”
“You’re not going to ask where the contact ca from?”
“I assu it was one of the Ironblood Fortress, the Nine Heavens Gate, or the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
“You truly know everything. I’m asking out of personal curiosity—how exactly do you know?”
The Hao Sect Leader asked with genuine curiosity.
Even the mighty Beggars’ Sect had failed to uncover this.
Yet Ban Hojin, who had no separate faction or intelligence network, knew.
If he possessed a secret organization, he would not have needed assistance from the Hao Sect or the Beggars’ Sect.
“I ca to know by chance. I apologize, but I cannot speak about this matter to you, Sect Leader.”
“I thought as much.”
Perhaps because she had not expected much to begin with, the Hao Sect Leader was not deeply disappointed by his refusal.
Instead, she looked at Ban Hojin with even greater longing in her eyes.
The more she looked at him, the more she felt he was a perfect match for Nan Hee-ju.
“Judging by your expression, it seems you have not yet made a decision.”
“To be honest, the best option would be to join neither side. To be precise, I suppose you could say I trust neither. In that case, it would be better to remain as still as a dead mouse.”
“I also hope you will maintain neutrality, Sect Leader.”
“You are not urging us to join?”
The Hao Sect Leader showed slight surprise.
She knew Ban Hojin was unlike other martial artists, but even knowing that the Neo-Outer Murim had made contact, she had not expected him to refrain from urging them to join.
Naturally, she had assud he would ask them to join hands with the Orthodox Martial World. Instead, he was asking them to remain neutral, and so she stared at him with widened eyes.
“Yes. Did you not say yourself, Sect Leader, that neither side can be trusted? That applies equally to the Orthodox Martial World. Even if you join forces, can you truly rge into one without any friction?”
“That would be difficult.”
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