At that moment, one of the merchant lords cautiously asked.
“If we help with this, can we recover the losses we suffered?”
“How much did you lose?”
“Thirty silver taels… It’s the smallest amount here, but…”
“What does that matter?”
I continued.
“Whether it’s thirty silver taels or three thousand, it’s money we earned with the same hard work. We busted our feet walking all over to analyze the market! Fought tooth and nail against rival merchant groups! Bowed and scraped before customers! It’s money we earned sweating blood and swallowing tears. The value’s the same.”
The three merchant lords teared up as if deeply moved.
“O-Our loss is two hundred silver taels.”
“We lost five hundred fifty silver taels.”
“I promise you. Once we catch that scammer, we’ll recover as much of your losses as possible.”
Whether it was because they were touched or simply because they could recover their losses, the three merchant lords readily agreed to cooperate.
“By the way, did you report this to the authorities?”
At my question, they nodded.
“We did report it… but…”
I could hear the frustration, resignation, and helplessness in their voices—clear proof that the authorities weren’t doing much.
“I see. Then, could you tell me exactly what happened back then?”
The three merchant lords shared their experiences of being scammed.
I analyzed their cases together with ours and identified a common thread.
The Shaanxi Scorpion knew information that only an insider could’ve known.
I suspected it when I heard Clerk Eom got scammed, and sure enough, it was the same.
So, how did he get hold of that internal information?
It wasn’t just trivial info anyone could coax out. It was critical, sensitive information that only those in a certain position would know.
It might seem like he bribed someone of decent rank to spill the details, but I knew the Shaanxi Scorpion’s methods.
He never planted accomplices inside merchant groups.
Instead, he used facial disguise masks made of wax and pigskin, perfectly impersonating real people. That’s how even experienced merchants got fooled.
That’s also why he managed to avoid capture for so long.
He never left traces—whether it was the merchant groups he scammed or the ones he impersonated.
To craft a facial mask that realistic, one had to take an exact mold of the face.
But getting a mold of someone’s face and crafting it in detail took time.
There was, however, one place where it was unavoidable to let someone take a mold of your face.
This was the second reason the Shaanxi Scorpion managed to evade capture for so long.
I asked them for one piece of information.
“Do you happen to frequent any courtesan houses?”
.
.
.
After seeing the merchant lords off, I saw several people hurrying toward me.
It was the laborers and foremen.
“It’s just as you suspected.”
“The market’s suddenly full of sugar. When we checked, it was definitely the sugar we brought in.”
“Let’s head there.”
I immediately went to the place where the sugar was being sold and started asking around how they got it.
That’s how I arrived at one merchant group.
Its name was the Nokgeum Merchant Group (綠金商團).
Apparently, it was named after its merchant lord, whose surname was Nok (綠). (TL Note: Nok = Green, so it’s the Nokgeum Merchant Group)
From the beginning, I knew this was the Shaanxi Scorpion’s hideout.
There was no doubt the merchant lord here was the Shaanxi Scorpion himself.
But I couldn’t just barge in and declare, “The criminal is here.”
“After checking how much sugar the Nokgeum Merchant Group distributed to retailers, it’s almost exactly the amount we brought in.”
“That place definitely either has the Shaanxi Scorpion or is colluding with him.”
“We should confront them immediately!”
At Clerk Lee’s words, I shook my head.
“That’s not going to work.”
“Why not?”
“Do you have proof?”
“Sorry?”
“Proof that they’re the Shaanxi Scorpion. And proof that the sugar they sold is the sugar we brought.”
“If we press them on how they got the sugar…”
“These are people meticulous enough to pull off this kind of scam. You think they didn’t prepare for that?”
Clerk Lee had no response to that.
Clerk Uh then asked.
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
“We find the proof. Starting now.”
I told him.
“Send for Clerk Hwang. And… Squad Leader Yun.”
I called Yun Ji-sim, the squad leader from the Eunpoong Division.
“Keep watch on them.”
“Understood.”
A little while later.
Clerk Hwang came to the inn where I was staying, and I explained the situation.
“If there’s anything I can do to help, I will. We’ve done business together for a long time—it’s only right.”
I didn’t refuse the offer.
“Do you perhaps have a courtesan house you frequent? Or one you visited recently?”
.
.
.
I sat in my room.
On the table were lists of courtesan houses that the three victim merchant lords and Clerk Hwang often visited.
One of the reasons I considered the Shaanxi Scorpion a true scumbag was because of yet another reason he’d avoided capture for so long.
He controlled powerless courtesans.
When investigations closed in, the courtesans lied to shield him, helping him slip away time after time.
And when cornered, the courtesans chose suicide.
Why?
Because of an artifact the Shaanxi Scorpion possessed.
It was an item that allowed him to control anyone he’d shared intimacy with. Using it, he manipulated courtesans into protecting him.
Scanning the list of courtesan houses, my eyes landed on the one most likely to have aided the Shaanxi Scorpion.
The Water Jade Pavilion (水玉樓).
Guess it’s time to pay them a visit.
.
.
.
Not long after, I stepped inside the Water Jade Pavilion.
Behind me followed Palgap and two bodyguards.
“Welcome, esteemed sir!”
I was wearing a bamboo hat.
Usually, a bamboo hat was worn by someone trying to hide their identity. But thanks to the expensive ornament on mine, no one here was going to turn me away.
“Bring me a drink.”
I deliberately put on airs, and the attendant bowed politely.
“Of course. Please, let me show you to a seat.”
I followed the attendant and sat down.
“I heard there’s someone named Wine Moon (酒月) here.”
“Yes, she’s one of our prized courtesans… but, uh, calling for Wine Moon is… a bit difficult…”
I flicked a silver tael from my pouch.
The attendant caught it with a bright smile and bowed deeply.
“I’ll do my best.”
After the attendant left, I let out a deep sigh.
Ah… I really hate this crap.
The music’s too loud. The laughter’s grating.
While working in the merchant business, there were times I had to visit courtesan houses, but honestly, I hated these places.
In an environment like this, it’d be easy to drug someone until they passed out, take a mold of their face, and no one would notice.
And after a few drinks, it’s only natural that a secret or two about business would slip out.
With a beauty clinging to your side, it’d take a saint not to say anything.
This was the courtesan house Clerk Hwang frequented.
And the courtesan named Wine Moon was the one who’d entertained him. Apparently, Hwang once nodded off and woke up with his head resting on her lap.
“You seem uncomfortable, sir.”
Palgap asked quietly from the side, and I nodded.
“Yeah. Feels like death.”
“But how exactly are you going to persuade the courtesans? Didn’t you say they’re being controlled by some artifact?”
“I’ve got a way.”
The door opened, and a courtesan stepped inside.
“Did you ask for me?”
“You’re Wine Moon?”
“Yes, I am.”
I quietly stared at her. The moment she stepped into the room, nausea rose from deep within me.
‘What’s this…? Ah.’
I realized it immediately—it was the same reaction I had when facing someone from the Unorthodox Sect.
Tilting her head, she spoke.
“Shall I pour you a drink?”
She walked over and poured me a drink. I picked it up and asked her.
“Do you know the merchant lord of the Nokgeum Merchant Group?”
“…”
It was just a split second, but I caught it—her expression gave her away.
She knew.
As expected, the courtesan in front of me was one of the Shaanxi Scorpion’s collaborators.
But she shook her head.
“I do not.”
A blatant lie.
Her body was trembling. But it wasn’t fear—it was something unnatural.
That trembling… it meant her body was being controlled.
And the nausea I was feeling proved it. She was under his control.
The control from that artifact was a type of curse.
Well, then. Time to break that control.
I gathered my Qi.
“Those who’ve mastered the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art have Qi so pure, so cold, that they cannot be cursed or charmed.”
Just as Master said, I’d never once fallen to curses or illusions. It had saved me from plenty of dangerous situations.
There were even merchants who tried pathetic tricks like slipping aphrodisiacs into tea.
“And that Qi also affects those touched by it.”
I spread the Qi of the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art wide across the room.
This method was something I came up with back at the Zhuge Clan, when I snapped people out of the formation’s influence using Lion’s Roar.
Back then, the area was too wide, so I had to shout. But here, that wasn’t necessary.
If I simply expanded my Qi to fill the room, the courtesan’s control would be broken.
At least, that’s what I thought…
Whoooosh—!
I’d forgotten something.
My internal Qi had grown stronger.
The Qi didn’t just stop at the room. It spread through most of the entire pavilion.
“Huh? Why do I suddenly feel sober?”
“Is it… cold in here?”
Hearing voices from the next room, I scratched my cheek awkwardly, then looked at Wine Moon sitting in front of me.
The nausea was completely gone.
The control of the artifact had been severed.
“Haah!”
She gasped for air, staring down at her own hands.
“Huh?”
I no longer needed to pretend to be some arrogant, wealthy playboy, nor did I need to keep using lofty speech.
I asked politely.
“Now… can you tell me about the merchant lord of the Nokgeum Merchant Group?”
“That bastard’s a son of a bitch.”
She immediately covered her mouth in shock.
“Oh my! I… I can speak freely!”
“I’ve severed the Qi that was controlling you.”
“Ah…”
Tears welled in her eyes.
“Thank you… truly, thank you.”
I nodded.
“Well then.”
I took off the bamboo hat and set it aside.
“Please tell me about the merchant lord of the Nokgeum Merchant Group.”
“…!”
But then, Wine Moon stared at me strangely.
Why’s she suddenly looking at me like she’s… happy?
“How can someone be this handsome… Ah…”
“…”
I pressed on.
“The merchant lord of the Nokgeum Merchant Group…”
“Oh, that awful man…”
She started spilling everything about him. And the information was surprisingly useful.
“Are there other courtesans who know anything about him?”
“Wait right here!”
She dashed out, then returned shortly with several other courtesans.
They told me everything they knew.
Thanks to the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art spreading throughout the entire pavilion, the artifact’s control had been broken for all of them at once.
“By the way… may I buy you a drink sometime?”
“I… I’m free tonight…”
“Tonight, allow me to treat you with my own money!”
Awkwardly, I forced a smile and declined.
“Unfortunately… I’ve got work tonight.”
Sensing something, I glanced behind me.
Palgap’s expression screamed that he had a lot to say.
“What? Did you just curse me with your eyes?”
“I cursed this filthy world where only looks matter.”
Nokgeum Merchant Group.
From a young age, merchant lord Nok Il had realized he had a special talent.
A talent for deception.
It started with tricking his friend to steal a piece of candy. And as time went on, his tricks grew bolder.
It was fun.
Watching people fall for his lies was fun. Gaining things through it was even more fun.
Whether others bled, cried, or were ruined because of it—that never mattered to him.
‘Isn’t the point of life to enjoy it?’
That’s how he saw the world.
A few years ago, he started conning merchant groups in earnest.
Because merchants had the most to take.
And the more dangerous it was, the more thrilling.
Simple tricks didn’t excite him anymore.
Now… it was time for something big.
His target: the Eunhae Merchant Group.
The reason he’d never been caught after conning the merchant groups was because of a special artifact he’d gotten his hands on by chance.
A straw doll named Subjugating Doll.
Dozens of strands of hair were tied to it.
If he tied the hair of a woman he’d shared intimacy with, the doll allowed him to control her completely.
This was how he manipulated courtesans to aid him in his scams.
But now… something strange was happening.
–TL Notes–
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