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| Reaper of the Drifting Moon Novel |
Type- Light Novel, Web Novel
Manhwa- N/A
Translation-MTL
Snow Cloud Manor was one of the large mansions on Xintian Road.
They quickly moved in and took up residence when the slums that originally stood here were rebuilt after being destroyed by fire.
Thanks to this, they were able to secure a large and good piece of land for themselves much earlier than the other mansions.
The location of Snow Cloud Manor was considered to be one of the two best locations on Xintian Road, along with Red Pine Manor.
Yoo Gi-cheon, the owner of Snow Cloud Manor, was walking alone in the backyard.
The full moon was shining above his head.
"Beautiful!"
He enjoyed the moonlight with his eyes closed.
He liked these peaceful moments. That's why he left all the family businesses to his children and settled here.
Suddenly he felt an emptiness.
He didn't miss his children that much, but there was one boy he missed.
"I wonder how Soma is..."
The boy who suddenly appeared and called him "Grandpa".
He missed the boy who had gone on a long journey with Pyo Wol.
The boy was no ordinary person.
That's why Yoo Gi-cheon would unknowingly tense up whenever Soma suddenly appeared.
But as time went by and the boy didn't show up, he began to miss him.
He might have been a dangerous presence to others. But to Yoo Gi-cheon, he felt like a grandson.
"Tsk! If he's back, why can't that boy come back..."
Yoo Gi-cheon shook his head and turned around.
"Were you here alone again?"
"Jangrak!"
The second in command of Snow Cloud Manor and Yoo Gi-cheon's confidant, Woo Jang-rak, appeared.
Woo Jang-rak smiled and said, "It seems the master is getting old now and enjoys more time alone.
"Haha! You think you won't get old? When you get old, everyone enjoys spending time alone."
"I still prefer to be with others."
"Let's see if you still feel that way when you're old..."
"Until then, please live a long, long life."
"You give me both the disease and the cure. So what's the matter? You don't seem to have come here for no reason."
"We have a guest."
"A guest? At this late hour?"
Yoo Gi-cheon furrowed his brow.
Under normal circumstances, he would never have met the guest.
He was a stickler for manners and was reluctant to meet people without an appointment.
The problem was that Woo Jang-rak knew this as well.
Those who came without manners and asked for a sudden meeting were usually dealt with by Woo Jang-rak. The fact that Woo Jang-rak made an embarrassed expression meant that the people who came were difficult for him to deal with.
"Who are they?"
"People from an agency called the Galactic Escort Bureau."
"Galactic Escort Bureau?"
"It's one of New Moon Manor's businesses."
"Huh!"
Yoo Gi-cheon let out a hum.
Now he understood why Woo Jang-rak couldn't refuse the guest.
New Moon Manor was one of the three manors.
One River School, the Three Gates, the Three Sects and the Three Manors.
It occupied one of the eleven most powerful positions in the world.
If the Galactic Escort Bureau was one of the businesses of New Moon Manor, even Woo Jang-rak couldn't just refuse the meeting.
"The owner of the Galactic Escort Bureau has come in person. What should we do?"
"Do we have a choice? Bring them in. I'll meet them myself."
"They're already in the guest room."
"Let's go."
The two of them walked shoulder to shoulder towards the guest hall. Inside the guest hall, a man and a woman were waiting for them.
They were the head of the Galactic Escort Bureau, Ma Won-Ik, and his daughter, Ma Seo-Won.
Ma Won-Ik greeted Yoo Gi-cheon with a bow.
"I am Ma Won-ik, the head of the Galactic Escort Bureau. Thank you for your hospitality despite my sudden visit.
"If you're the head of the Galactic Escort Bureau, it's my pleasure to make time for you. I am Yoo Gi-cheon, the master of Snow Cloud Manor."
"Nice to meet you, Master Yoo!"
"Haha! Nice to meet you too, Head Ma!"
"This is my daughter, Ma Seo-Won."
"I thought you two looked alike, so she's your daughter."
"She insisted on coming. I apologise."
"Not at all."
Yoo Gi-cheon bowed her head.
At that moment, Ma Seo-Won stood up and bowed.
"I am Ma Seo-Won. I look forward to working with you, Master Yoo!"
"Haha! Nice to meet you, Miss Ma."
Yoo Gi-cheon thought that Ma Seo-won was very bold.
Her eyes and expression were full of confidence, similar to other children from prestigious families.
It was a look and expression that usually appeared on young people who had never experienced failure.
Yoo Gi-cheon asked Ma Won-ik, hiding his thoughts.
"So, what brings you to my house at such a late hour, head of the Galactic Escort Bureau?"
"I'm thirsty. I'd like a cup of tea, if possible..."
"What was I thinking? I haven't even served tea to our guests. What are you doing? Tell the servants to bring tea immediately."
"Yes!"
Woo Jang-rak called the servants and ordered them as he replied.
Meanwhile, the three of them sat down and chatted.
"I saw that the streets were very clean on my way here. I heard that this place used to be a slum?"
"That is correct. It used to be a place where the poor lived. But a big fire broke out and everything burned down."
"Really?"
"Then this street came in."
"The poor must have been pushed out again."
"It's a pity. In my case I compensated the people on my land quite generously. But others bought land at low prices and drove the poor away.
"People's hearts are naturally cold. But with people like you, Master Yoo, the world is still worth living in.
"You are flattering me."
"Not at all. I have heard praise for Master Yoo from all over Chengdu. I, Ma Won-Ik, am truly impressed."
"Oh, what are you talking about..."
Yoo Gi-cheon bowed his head humbly.
Beating around the bush like that, what is he trying to say?
Although he had retired a long time ago, Yoo Gi-cheon had experienced all kinds of ups and downs as a merchant.
With just a few words, he could guess that the other party was hiding something.
"I heard that Master Yoo did a lot of good deeds. When there was a drought, you released a lot of grain, and you've helped many people in need... You are really remarkable.
"It's nothing to praise. It's just what should be done."
"And I have also heard that you have donated a very hard to find Buddhist scripture to the Shaolin Temple. That must have been a difficult decision."
"I simply returned it to its rightful owner. It's natural that the original scripture should be in the Shaolin Temple. It's the home of Buddhism".
"It's easy to say it, but how many people in the world can actually do it? You really are amazing."
"Haha!"
"But I heard that you didn't donate all the scriptures. Is that true?"
"Why do you ask?"
For a moment, a cautious light flickered in Yoo Gi-cheon's eyes.
I had a feeling that he was putting too much emphasis on the scriptures, but it turns out that his real intention is the scriptures.
The retired merchant's intuition told him.
Sensing his caution, Ma Won-Ik laughed.
"Ha ha! There's no need to be so careful."
"I'm getting more cautious with age. Please understand."
"I understand."
"But why did you mention the scriptures?"
"The truth is, we also want to do a good deed."
"A good deed?"
"We are building a great temple at New Moon Manor."
"A temple, you say?"
"Yes! An enormous amount of money is being invested. I don't know if you know this. But the mother of the lord of New Moon Manor is a devout Buddhist. In honour of her late husband, she wants to build a large temple nearby."
"And so?"
"We want to participate in her noble cause."
"Participate?"
"It would be a meaningful act to donate the original scriptures from the West to the temple the lady will build. So, if you haven't donated all of your scriptures, you can sell us the rest of your original scriptures. Of course, we will pay you the full price."
"Hmm!"
Yoo Gi-cheon let out a humming sound.
Ma Won-ik's words had struck a chord with him.
Ma Won-Ik demanded the scriptures under the pretext of building a large temple and making a donation. He even brought the most respected elder of the New Moon Manor, the grandmother, into it.
It wasn't easy for Yoo Gi-cheon to refuse.
New Moon Manor was one of the most powerful organisations in the world.
Although its exact power was not clearly known due to its limited external activities, it was widely known that it possessed tremendous power.
The grandmother who founded the New Moon Manor was a mysterious person.
She had run a huge organization in a woman's body. But little was known about her background and personal history.
She rarely engaged in outside activities.
Her son took care of all external activities.
He was said to be deeply filial. He would do whatever his mother wanted.
This time the construction of the temple was probably no exception.
Since it was not just anyone but the grandmother who wanted to build a great temple in honor of her late husband, it was obvious that her son, the lord of the New Moon Manor, would go all out.
If Yoo Gi-cheon refused to provide the scriptures, they might hold a grudge and seek revenge.
Although Yoo Gi-cheon and the Snow Cloud Manor in Chengdu might be safe, it was uncertain what damage his son and the Taewon Merchant Guild would suffer from the New Moon Manor.
Yoo Gi-cheon asked cautiously,
"Does the grandmother want the scriptures? Or does this proposal come from your loyalty, Sir Ma?"
"You can think of it as a mixture of both."
"Hmm!"
Yoo Gi-cheon let out another thoughtful hum.
If this was what the grandmother wanted, he had no choice.
'They are threatening me with polite manners and faces.'
The value of the original scriptures was incalculable in gold.
Since there was only one copy of each volume in the world, many coveted them.
So he hadn't even fixed the date for transporting the rest of the scriptures, having donated some to Shaolin.
After pondering for a moment, Yoo Gi-cheon spoke carefully.
"I apologise."
"Are you refusing?"
"I have already agreed to donate all the scriptures to the Shaolin Temple. Although they are in my possession, they are no different from the Shaolin Temple's property, so I cannot decide arbitrarily."
"Why not just send a letter to Shaolin Temple asking for their understanding?"
Ma Won-Ik was persistent.
For a moment, Yoo Gi-cheon felt that Ma Won-Ik might want the scriptures for some other reason.
He cautiously suggested,
"Why don't you send a letter to Shaolin asking for permission if you really want the original scriptures? If you ask in the name of New Moon Manor, the Shaolin Temple might not refuse outright."
"I'll... consider it."
"Then we'll have to end our conversation for today."
At Yoo Gi-cheon's words, Ma Won-Ik and his daughter stood up. They had noticed that he had given them a farewell gesture. He had made it clear that he would not hand over the writings.
There was no reason for them to stay. They knew they wouldn't get what they wanted.
Yoo Gi-cheon bowed to them and said,
"Ha ha! I won't be seeing you off, so please be careful on your way."
"Thank you for your consideration, Master Yu. Until we meet again, take care."
"Take care, Master Yu!"
Ma Won-Ik and his daughter smiled and bowed.
Although the negotiation had failed, no one showed any sign of displeasure.
That's how good they were at hiding their emotions.
Ma Won-Ik said,
"We will stay in town for a while. If you change your mind, you can come to us. Our residence won't be too hard to find."
"We'll do that."
"Well then..."
After saying goodbye, the two left the Snow Sword Manor.
As they couldn't see Yoo Gi-cheon's figure, their faces hardened.
Ma Seo-won spoke up.
"As expected, we were rejected."
"Things aren't going so well. Did you observe the inner structure well?"
"Of course. I've already got a rough idea."
"Then that's enough."
"But isn't it too much of a burden to actually carry out the plan?"
"Because of the Reaper?"
"Yes! His residence is very close, isn't it?"
As it happened, the Snow Cloud Manor was right next to the Red Pine Manor
They were close enough to hear each other when they shouted.
It was too inconvenient to do anything in such a place.
The Snow Cloud Manor was practically a natural fortress.
It was under the protection of the most fearsome person in the world.
Ma Won-Ik looked back and said,
"Let's just observe for now. It seems there's still room for negotiation.
"Meanwhile, I'll gather information about that person."
"Which person?"
"The Reaper. You said he was so beautiful, didn't you?"
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