Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 55: Woobin, Chooses a Gift

Hae Ryang sat in the Lord’s seat and looked around the room. He had an expression on his face that no one in the world should see. His father was dead, and his older brother was dead, yet he was smiling.

‘This place is mine now.’

He felt a strange sense of satisfaction and was in a good mood.

He noticed that the gazes of the people of the clan toward him had changed. They had become more polite, and that politeness carried a hint of fear.

But he didn’t know that there were already various rumors spreading about Hae Gwang’s death.

In particular, among the martial artists who had followed Hae Gwang, there were secret murmurs that his death might not have been the work of the Demonic Cult, but Hae Ryang’s doing.

There were even rumors that he had borrowed a large sum of money and lost it all. With Hae Ryang still not having fully consolidated his power, the chaos within the Righteous Chivalrous Sword Clan only grew worse with such rumors circulating.

Power was fragmented, and everyone floundered around. It was exactly the situation Lee Jaseung wanted.

But despite the situation, Hae Ryang’s mind was elsewhere.

“I have a report to make.”

The man who entered the office was Gwan Eok. Hae Ryang had chosen Gwan Eok as his right-hand man. By sheer martial skill, he wasn’t particularly exceptional.

But there was a decisive reason Hae Ryang favored him.

Gwan Eok had not gotten along well with Hae Ryang’s father and brother, and for that reason, he had been pushed out of the center of power.

Hae Ryang liked that very much.

Gwan Eok also didn’t want to miss the opportunity that had come to him. He had once lost favor with Hae Cheon-in and Hae Gwang because his ambition had been exposed. He swore not to repeat the same mistake.

“Pressure is coming from the merchant groups and the dens over the borrowed money.”

Hae Ryang scoffed.

“Those arrogant bastards! They pull this right after the funeral!?”

Such a thing would have been unimaginable if his father were still alive. In other words, they were completely looking down on him.

“This isn’t something to take lightly. You know well what they’ve taken as collateral, don’t you?”

What they had taken as collateral wasn’t the land or buildings owned by the clan, but its organizations. Among them was one of the strongest units representing the clan.

That was originally a trick by Hae Cheon-in. He had assumed that even if there were trouble later, no one would dare to take such elite units from the clan.

At the time, those who had lent the money had done so because they trusted Hae Cheon-in. The collateral was mostly a formality.

But the situation had changed. With both Hae Cheon-in and Hae Gwang dead, the lenders were growing nervous.

Even more so because they had realized that the new Lord Hae Ryang, contrary to his public image, was reckless. At this rate, they stood to lose tens or even hundreds of thousands of silver coins.

And they were right to worry. In fact, they should have been even more concerned. Hae Ryang didn’t care at all about the borrowed money.

“Sure, but it’s not like they’ll really demand the collateral back, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Just bribe their contact and delay as long as you can. What are they going to do? I said I’d pay later.”

“Understood.”

Gwan Eok inwardly sneered at Hae Ryang’s way of handling things.

‘A brat already acting like this? Hehe, this makes him easy to use.’

Whether he knew that or not, Hae Ryang casually changed the subject.

“But there’s something more urgent we need to deal with first.”

“What is it?”

Hae Ryang hesitated briefly. Even if he was reckless, what he was about to say needed to be approached carefully.

When he sighed, Gwan Eok cautiously asked,

“Is something troubling you?”

“Have you ever loved someone?”

“Of course.”

Gwan Eok had a feeling where this was going. It was well known that at the martial arts tournament, Hae Ryang had competed against a rival for Baek Seolyoung’s affection.

And that rival had won. It was easy to imagine what was going through his mind.

“Young love is rarely fulfilled. Now that you’re the Lord of the clan, a better match will surely…”

Hae Ryang cut him off, clearly uninterested in such advice.

“Kill Seop Mu-pyeong.”

Gwan Eok’s breath caught.

“What did you just say?”

Hae Ryang enunciated each word clearly.

“Kill Seop Mu-pyeong. If you do, I’ll make you the Vice Lord.”

Gwan Eok was stunned. He had never imagined Hae Ryang would be so blatant in his demands.

He stared at Hae Ryang. He had known the guy was unhinged, but not this unhinged.

Still, it was an incredibly tempting offer.

“Vice Lord…”

It was a position one could never reach through ordinary means, no matter how many years of service. His long-dormant ambition stirred once more.

He needed to be careful, though. One misstep could cost him his life.

Despite his complicated thoughts, Gwan Eok decided to play it safe for now.

“He’s the fiancé of the Northern Sky Clan’s Lord. If anything goes wrong, it could start a war with their clan.”

“I know. That’s why I’m offering you the title of Vice Lord as compensation.”

“I’ve heard his martial arts skills are exceptional. My men won’t be able to handle him.”

Hae Ryang then handed over a small badge.

It bore the image of a red dragon.

“I’ll give you command of the Red Dragon Army!”

Gwan Eok was shocked. The Red Dragon Army had been established by Hae Cheon-in and answered only to the Lord.

Officially, they were elite warriors, but in reality, they functioned as an assassination organization under the Lord’s direct command.

Gwan Eok swallowed hard. With them, Seop Mu-pyeong could certainly be eliminated. Their skills were rumored to be extraordinary.

They were also shrouded in secrecy, so this was a chance to learn more about them.

Gwan Eok watched Hae Ryang closely.

Once Hae Ryang had issued a command he couldn’t deliver personally, there was no way to refuse it.

“Understood. Leave it to me.”

“Get it done as soon as possible.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Hae Ryang smiled in satisfaction at Gwan Eok’s answer.

“I’m counting on you.”

As Gwan Eok left the room, Ham Muhong appeared. He had earned Hae Ryang’s absolute trust by saving his life.

“Why did you give him the Red Dragon Army? You could have issued the order yourself.”

“He has to be deeply involved to keep him from betraying me.”

“I see.”

Though Ham Muhong answered respectfully, he disagreed.

Dragging others into such dangerous work was reckless.

He had guarded Hae Ryang since childhood and could guess the real reason.

Avoiding responsibility.

This was Hae Ryang’s way of shielding himself. If things went wrong, he could pin everything on Gwan Eok.

Ham Muhong understood his fear, but this was not the right way to handle things. In fact, this was something that should never have been done in the first place.

Still, he couldn’t stop him. Ever since learning his brother had tried to kill him, Hae Ryang had become twisted. If he tried to intervene, he might be killed too.

Watching Hae Ryang now filled Ham Muhong with dread.

It felt like watching a baby play with a dangerous weapon.

* * *

“There’s less than ten days left until the wedding. We should start getting ready.”

Dan Woobin secretly summoned Mujin and Ma Young-gi to his room.

“Getting ready for what?”

“For the wedding gift, of course.”

“A separate gift?”

Mujin and Dan Woobin looked at each other in surprise.

“Were you not going to do anything?”

“A congratulatory payment should be enough. Why a separate present?”

Dan Woobin looked appalled.

“They say never raise a black-haired beast.”

“I’m just a poor beast suffering from a low salary.”

“My ass. You’re the highest paid one here.”

And it was true. Lee Jaseung treated Dan Woobin, Mujin, Ma Young-gi, and Mook Young better than any comparable figures in the martial world.

The Demonic Cult was known for generous treatment, but Lee Jaseung offered even more. At least in Jianghu, no Captains were paid more than the ones in the Black Way Alliance.

“Then how come I’m always broke?”

“Because you blow it all on booze and women!”

“Whatever! I don’t have money!”

“But you must have an emergency stash.”

“That’s for emergencies!”

Dan Woobin stared at Mujin with wide eyes. If Mujin just said “Search through my stash.”, Dan Woobin would’ve assumed he had been stashing money away somewhere.

“So you really don’t have any huh!”

“I do! I do have some!”

“My god! You really blew all that money on partying.”

“I said I have it! I have emergency funds!”

“I’ve been working with the thirstiest dog in Jianghu.”

“How much do you want? Just tell me how much!”

Ma Young-gi said with confidence,

“He really doesn’t have any.”

Mujin sighed with a tearful face.

“...I told you I didn’t from the start.”

“What are you going to do then?”

“What’s the big deal? I’m living a happy life.”

Dan Woobin turned to Ma Young-gi.

“Don’t tell me you’re like this too?”

“I have money saved. How much are you thinking about spending for the gift?”

Mujin immediately shouted,

“Captain Ma, lend me some money!”

Ma Young-gi replied coldly,

“I don’t lend money to close friends.”

“Then do you lend to strangers? Come on, it’s me!”

“I’ve both borrowed and lent before, and it never ended well either way.”

“Lies! Who would dare ask you for a loan just by looking at your face?”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“You’d steal money, not lend it. I mean, at least judging from your expression of course! I know your heart’s different. Let that beautiful heart show just this once.”

Mujin put on a pitiful face, but Ma Young-gi remained firm.

“Absolutely not.”

Mujin pouted and spoke.

“How cold.”

Then he turned to Dan Woobin, who was looking away, pretending not to notice.

Mujin said in disbelief,

“You’re not going to say anything?”

“I’ve both borrowed and lent before, and neither ended well.”

Dan Woobin repeated Ma Young-gi’s words like a parrot.

“You two are such a good match, why aren’t you close? Build a beautiful friendship together, why don’t you?”

Dan Woobin chuckled. Come to think of it, he and Ma Young-gi did have some similarities.

Ma Young-gi asked curiously,

“So what kind of gift are you planning?”

“I haven’t decided. Any ideas?”

“Perhaps something that can’t be obtained through money?”

Mujin answered faster than a sword draw.

“I agree completely!”

Dan Woobin’s eyes sparkled and asked.

“Like what?”

Ma Young-gi answered without hesitation as if he had already thought of it.  

“A group song performance could be an example.”

Dan Woobin and Mujin flinched. Their eyes said, “Are you serious?” and Ma Young-gi added,

“With a sword dance to match. I’ll sing, and you two can dance.”

Dan Woobin and Mujin stared at him blankly. Dan Woobin said in a defeated tone,

“He wants us to sing and dance.”

“Just imagining it makes me want to die. I’d be the first person to die of embarrassment.”

“The worst part is, he means it.”

“Still not going to lend me money?”

“I’ll lend you. No, I’ll just pay for everything.”

Ma Young-gi scratched his head, not understanding what the problem was.

“If you don’t like it, you two can sing, and I’ll do the sword dance.”

Just imagining them singing while Ma Young-gi danced made Dan Woobin and Mujin shout at once.

“Stop it!”