After a long journey, he eventually reached Oseon Manor in Hangzhou.
“Master!” The Hangzhou Incident welcomed them with a friendly face. Oseon Manor, where there were people who welcomed them, turned out to be paradise. Of course, this was under the premise of fixing the side effects of Geom Woo-bin.
“What about Seok-san?”
Sehwa answered Geum Hong’s question. “He is in the basement training room.”
“But why are you here? How is Girou doing?”
“It’s not our business hours. Don’t worry about Girou, and just focus on healing Sabaek-nim.”
“Fine, fine, okay… but still, it’s reassuring to have you guys.”
It wasn’t just empty words. Besides the Blood Lions and each other, the people they could trust the most were their disciples. Jeon Yeong Hong and Do Pyeong-su hurriedly headed to the basement studio. Seo Seok-san welcomed them first.
“Did you get it?” Do Pyeong-su lifted the box, and Geum Hong tapped the frosted pocket on his side.
Seo Seok-san also pointed to the hearth in the corner of the training room. He was in the process of detoxifying the inner stage with steam by inserting a wire mesh into an iron pot. “Everyone has accomplished their mission.”
As Yeon Jeong Hong spoke proudly, Seo Seok-san, who was approaching, sighed. “I feel like I am being bullied here.”
“What do you mean?”
At this, Seok-san saw Geom Woo-bin and Jang Mandok facing each other with their chins. “Look. You two are only talking.”
He meant to start a conversation, but there was no amity between Geom Woo-bin and Jang Mandok. Instead, the two were trying to communicate with facial expressions because it was only these that were loose. Then, he burst into laughter and nodded as if it was natural. It was the perfect situation for anyone to think they were crazy.
“It’s smooth. Do you know what the two of you are saying?”
“I’ve heard a lot about the death penalty, and they say it’s because of Mandok, and they say it’s because the quality of the death penalty is so good. Mandok would simply wag his tail to the death penalty.”
Seo Seok-san grumbled. “I am just a sack of barley borrowed here.”
He couldn’t even read their facial expressions, so Seok-san couldn’t intervene in their conversation. “The death penalty and Mandok have become so close. I guess we’ve been away for too long.”
Geom Woo-bin’s eyes turned to the three of them. Then, Do Pyeong-su read Geom Woo-bin’s expression and said: “He said thank you for your hard work.”
Even if she were to utter a thing, she would definitely want to hear Woo-bin’s voice, but Woo-bin didn’t seem to want to spit out her stuttering voice like an idiot. “I was just doing what I had to do.”
As Yeon Jeong Hong spoke, Geom Woo-bin turned to Jang Mandok again. “Are you doing secretarial work again?”
Seo Seok-san then spoke to Do Pyeong-su’s interpreter. “Did you keep doing nothing while I was there?”
“Do you want to leave behind the things Mandok has saved?”
“What is it, get out, Mara?”
The three of them went outside because there was nothing to do in the training room. “The side effects of the death penalty should get better soon.”
After returning with a happy heart, Jeon Yeong Hong then quickly became depressed. Geom Woo-bin had been longing to see him so much. Not long after, he came out of the underground training room, and Woo-bin, a swordsman, came to visit Yeong Hong.
“Paper… Paper… Report… City… I wanted to.”
A voice that stuttered much more than before painfully pierced through Hong. “The death penalty, me too.”
At this point, he felt like he was about to burst into tears, so Hong then hugged Geom Woo-bin. “Let’s walk for a moment.”
At this, he took Woo-bin’s hand and circled her manor once. He then went for a walk, telling the story of how he met Eun Bi-yeon, and when Do Pyeong-su broke the ice of the lake and took out the ice crystals.
At this, Geom Woo-bin only smiled faintly, and only nodded from time to time at her words. “The death penalty, do you believe you will get better?”
As he stroked Woo-bin’s rough hair, he heard the voice of the late West from his front door. “Thank you. These days, we are not able to visit Pyoguk because we are not in good shape.”
He came to deliver the money for the fraudulent goods sent to Wuhan by Western Marks. “Fine. But what’s going on at Oseon Manor? These days, I can’t see the Soju ship, nor the Hangzhou ship… Huh?”
Belatedly, Geom Woo-bin and Jeon Yeon Hong were found and greeted by a person from West Pyo-guk. Geom Woo-bin also looked down at him, but he didn’t say hello to him
‘There was a rumor that she was seriously ill, and it seems that it is true.’
Rumors that Geom Woo-bin was ill quickly spread throughout Hangzhou. From then on, gifts began pouring in from all over Hangzhou. Most of them were medicinal herbs and fruits such as ginseng, ojicho, and white fruit that were said to be good for the body.
“I hope Soju-seon gets well soon.” At this, some would give a gift to the Hangzhou Incident and convey sincerity, and some even leaned a Buddha statue on the wall of Wushen Manor and offered blessings. It meant that there were so many people who admired or favored Hangzhou Wusun, large or small.
Of course, none of the gifts that came in were of any help to Geom Woo-bin, but only their hearts became Geom Woo-bin’s strength. News about Geom Woo-bin’s illness did not stop in Hangzhou. In the neighboring province of Anhui, Namgungse also heard the news about Geom Woo-bin through the Western Pyeongguk. Everyone in the Namgung Sega thought so, but only Namgoong Hye-yeon could not believe it.
For one reason or another, she continued to be at odds with Woo-bin, but his shadow still remained in her heart. “Where does it hurt?” Pyo-du, who had brought a mark from the Western State, spoke with a worried expression on his face.
“I don’t know the details, but according to the stories I heard little by little through the workers at the Manor, his hair loss made him stutter a lot, and his forgetfulness got worse. I’ve been trying to guess the names of various diseases, but no one seems to know what the disease is.”
Just by looking at the symptoms, it didn’t seem like a mild disease. She wanted to run right away, but there was nothing she could do about it. It seemed as if an excuse was in order.
‘There is something that can help Sega!’
If it was Seonyudan, it would definitely be helpful to cure whatever Geom Woo-bin’s illness might be. The problem was that Namgung Cheol-un, the owner of Gaju, would never give up his precious Seonyudan.
‘It can’t be helped.’
There was no place in Sega that Namgung Hye-yeon, the long-time treasurer of Namgung Sega, could not go. That meant that they could sneak out anything they wanted if needed. And so, Namgung Hye-yeon stole for the first time in her life. She decided that she had to steal the heart of Geom Woo-bin.
It wasn’t until night that Namgung Hye-yeon stole her Seonyudan and went to Hangzhou before she heard through her own ears. “Did Hye-yeon really steal Seonyudan before going to Hangzhou?”
At this, Namgoong-seong-won, Namgoong-cheol’s third younger brother, answered with an expression that seemed to hold back her laughter. “It looked like that. He said that the gentle cat climbs first in the stove, Cha-am.”
“Are you laughing?”
“Aren’t you cute?”
“I went crazy, stole a family’s treasure, and ran away, but of course you’d find that cute, wouldn’t you?”
“When you think about it, your method is a little sloppy. Even this uncle steals what he only eats once in three years to give him to Geom Woo-bin. This is why it’s useless to raise daughters. Won’t you get caught?”
Namgoong-cheol, who thought for a moment, shook his head. “Shut up. Now that this has come to pass, let’s give it to Oseon Manor as a gift. There’s nothing wrong with maintaining a good relationship. The late indexes of prestigious families come to visit or send letters saying they are going every day, but…”
* * *
Geomungo playing was annoying, and dancing anticipation made him frown. There were no examples, and only color remained on the slightly visible breastbone and inner thighs. Jeong So-bang had to shake his head at the taste of alcohol while drinking Ogi-ju himself.
At first, he was surprised because it was similar to Sagi-ju, but after drinking it for a while, he could clearly see the taste of the liquor. He had been a regular here for a long time, so he had come here as a habit, but now he thought that he would have to cut off his visit to Wolhagiru. There was no reason to come because the performances and dances of anticipation were not as good as before, and the taste of alcohol was also lowered in terms of quality.
“Master Jung. Why do you look like that? Did you feel bad today?” Hee-yeon, who returned from her dance, then clung to Jeong-bu. She, who had come from Beijing, had a voluptuous body with her luscious face, but that was not all of her courtesan virtues.
“The monthly entertainment is not what it used to be.”
“Yes? Oh! Absolutely! That is because we are from Beijing.”
For one reason or another, many of the existing prostitutes here quit, and their positions were then filled with newer prostitutes from Beijing. “Aren’t we changing the old-fashioned giru culture of Hangzhou?”
“Is this what the sophisticated Kiru culture is? Are you saying that doing business with your body is the Peking style without paying attention to dancing, singing, or performing?”
“What do you mean?”
At this, Jeong stood up and threw some hermits at the table. “I don’t think I’ll ever come back on a monthly basis.”
If one didn’t have a choice, they wouldn’t know. In Hangzhou, an excellent flag called Wushen Giru then opened its doors. First-class prostitutes who used to work in Wolhagiru had moved to a place that would sell real liquor.
Ha Seok-moon, who served as the general secretary at Wolhagiru, was also in charge of Oh Seon-gi-ru. Kiru was a newly opened but familiar place, so the wealthy people in Hangzhou moved their regulars one by one, and the fire department decided to join the ranks.
‘It’s just a matter of time to close the door every month.’
Bang! As Hwang Seo-min slammed the table, the teacup on top fell and spilled light green water.
“What the hell is wrong with you! What?!”
The faces of high-class women were prettier than Wolhagiru, and there was also Ogiju, which tasted similar to Sagiju. However, because of this, the regulars moved to Oseon Manor one by one, and now there was only chaff left. In Beijing, promiscuous prostitutes were the best, and dance and music were just tools to set the mood.
“These are Hangzhou villagers who don’t know how to play!” It seemed that Hwang Seo-min did not even know the basics.
The Cheolhyeolbang, who brought in a lot of money to wipe out the Oseon Manor, was not thinking about paying for the meal. It was only for three days that the Cheolhyeolbang satisfied Jo Hwang-se. During that time, the Cheolhyeolbang drove out Wu Seon-hui, who was holding the night of Hangzhou and took its place.
However, that was just it. He was wasting time without showing any attempt to hit the Oseon Manor or any action that would ruin the Oseongiru. Aside from the iron mine development rights handed over to the Dong family, the amount of money spent to save the buildings of the branch and feed the fifty people dispatched had already reached 5,000 nyang.
At this, Seo-min Hwang took a step forward to the branch of the Cheolhyeolbang. Today, he was going to have a conversation with Jeong Pyeong-ho, the head of the branch, but only Suha said that he was not present. “Where have you been at this hour?”
“Probably gone.”
“You didn’t come?”
“Don’t be lazy.” It felt like a vein was bursting somewhere in his brain.
“I mean, you went to Oseongiru! You crazy man!” Hwang Seo-min, who had gotten angry all the way to the tip of his head, ran towards Oseon Manor. At that time, Jeong Pyeong-ho, who raised the blood pressure of commoner Hwang to the point of death, was having a good time with his courtesans. With the sweet music tickling his ears and the soft texture of his hands, this place was paradise. When he was first assigned to the Hangzhou branch, he felt like he was going into exile.
However, his life in Hangzhou, when he actually started, turned out to be a luxury he had never enjoyed before. The richest man in Zhejiang Province didn’t have to pay anything for himself. Even now, the black society of Hangzhou was managed by Kang Chansik, and Jeong Pyeong-ho was playing and eating.
“If I could live like this in Hangzhou for the rest of my life, I would have no wish. Hello, did you say your name is Jin?”
Jinha, who had been dancing, bowed her back. “It is.”
“Your face is so pretty. Come sit here next to me.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m Yegi, so I’m not a courtesan serving guests.”
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He felt bad with another sudden rejection. “Uh-huh! Don’t you know that I’m friendly with the staff?”
“The closer you are, the more polite you should be.”
A voice could then be heard first, and then the door opened. Sehwa, who had just come inside, still looked beautiful.