Chapter 182

Chapter 182
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**Chapter 182: The Price of Information**

All the wealthy across the world fall into exactly one of two groups: those born to inherit vast fortunes of ten thousand gold, and those who clawed every bit of wealth up from nothing.

Jin Yeong-gil belonged to the second. This young merchant had long dreamed of becoming a towering figure who would command markets the world over, and he had dedicated his entire life to that single ambition.

Once nothing more than a common peddler with no family wealth to lean on, he had endured trial after trial to stand where he stood now. He had lived his life with unflinching resolve, focused entirely on amassing riches. And the station he had fought so hard to reach… ranked him among the planet’s three wealthiest people—a power great enough to set silk prices across all of Szechuan.

“You surely have much to tell. Speak every word of it. I shall listen, and then I shall decide how many bolts of silk your words are worth.”

He was the one who named the price. This was the very power he had craved his whole life, sacrificing everything to attain it. When others stood before him, they scrambled desperately to prove their worth, pushing to make themselves seem more valuable than they were. Watching that scramble was one of Jin Yeong-gil’s keenest pleasures. That was why he had posed the question. He was curious to know just how high a value this young man—who had healed him—would place upon himself.

Yet…

Baek Yang-hui shattered every expectation Jin Yeong-gil held.

“How many bolts will you offer? I shall speak only what that amount buys.”

It was an audacious reply. Not even the young master of the Tang Clan would dare speak so; this was merely the heir of an obscure martial family clinging to another’s coattails, and yet he spoke with such unyielding confidence.

“Entertaining. Is this sheer arrogance, or true self-assurance?”

Jin Yeong-gil let a subtle weight of pressure settle into his tone, but Baek Yang-hui did not flinch. A faint, knowing smile even touched his lips.

“Which do you believe it to be?”

“Were you a fool, I would call it arrogance. But my son tells me you are known as the sharpest mind in all Gangseo.”

“Then let it be confidence.”

“Ha! Do you hold yourself in such high regard that you speak to me—Jin Yeong-gil—in this manner?”

“Ought a true man not have faith in himself?”

It was a sound point. He who has no faith in himself can never achieve anything truly great. “And why should I show no spine to the very man whose life I saved?”

“Ho! You dare take such a tone? You saved my life, yet instead of gratitude, you come straight to claim your payment?”

Baek Yang-hui shrugged easily, unbothered. “You opened with talk of value, so it is clear you calculate everything in such terms. I see no fault in that.”

“…Very well. One bolt.” Jin Yeong-gil lifted a small wooden token carved with the likeness of a silk bolt and set it down. “I grant you one bolt. Speak what is worth that much.”

The finest silk, known as Chok-geum, fetched roughly fifty silver taels for a single bolt. A strong, able laborer earned but one silver tael after a full day’s work; such silk was a luxury far beyond the reach of most. Even storytellers at inns earned but a single coin for every tale they told—so this payment was remarkably generous.

*Still, the worth of words shifts wildly, depending on what knowledge they carry.*

For instance—just so.

“Our Baek Clan and the Tang Clan have jointly developed a new martial theory centered on poisons and their antidotes.”

“Ho… that alone sounds worth far more than one bolt.”

“Only you must know of this, Clan Lord.”

“Even so, the scales do not balance.” Jin Yeong-gil set down two more tokens, tapping them gently against the table beside his bed. Wood struck wood with a crisp, satisfying sound. “Three bolts. Six in total. Speak on.”

“Man-geum syndrome arises when harmful energies invade the body. Yours had advanced to a malignant stage. Think of it as applying the principles of poison and antidote to purge that malignancy.”

In truth, it had been the power of pure righteous energy that had rooted out the latent demonic qi hidden deep within Jin Yeong-gil’s frame. Righteous energy, which guided all things toward what was right and true, was the ultimate counter to corrupt forces such as demonic qi.

*Even if one knew the method, merely holding a wrist for a single gak to diagnose would never reveal the cure. It could never be done without righteous energy.*

Still, he had no intention of sharing that secret with anyone.

“Blood-eyed Ra said something similar once, at Geomwang Fortress—that I am the fated arch-enemy spoken of in prophecy.”

It was utter nonsense, words Blood-eyed Ra had blurted out the moment he sensed righteous energy. Baek Yang-hui had never heard such things in his past life, so Ra must know something of this power and had reacted to its presence. It would be best to keep it hidden, just to be safe.

“So that is the truth of it. Whether true or false, you mean to keep the rest to yourself?”

Instead of elaborating, Baek Yang-hui simply smiled.

“Two more bolts.” When nothing further was offered, Jin Yeong-gil added more tokens. “Two additional, bringing the total to ten.”

“That is quite a high price. I shall pass on that one, then—tell me something else.”

*He is sharp indeed at weighing profit and loss.*

Jin Yeong-gil judged the information useless to him at this moment and let his curiosity rest. In truth, he did not care what the treatment had been; he had recovered fully in a single day, so he knew no dark or sinister rite had been performed upon him.

*Very well—shall I give him the news he seeks?*

“Your Man-geum syndrome is entirely cured, my Lord.”

“You claim full recovery—after merely holding my wrist for a single gak?”

“That is the stature of the Baek Clan and the Tang Clan.”

“Fascinating.”

“I have given you good news. May I now share the bad? Man-geum syndrome may return at any moment.”

Jin Yeong-gil’s brow furrowed, his demeanor turning sharper and more irritable. “Why… hm. The root cause must be found and removed.”

“Precisely. And for your reference: we have not yet discovered what it is. Will you join us in seeking it?”

Another token joined those already resting on the table. “My son shall be told how to proceed later.”

A playful glint lit his eyes. One corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smile. “You place great trust in your young clan lord, do you not?”

“This Jin Yeong-gil has made many enemies. To walk through life relying on nothing but oneself, with no inheritance to fall back on… means one has no true friends—only rivals.”

Jin Yeong-gil counted among the world’s three wealthiest men, yet he was famously reclusive, avoiding gatherings and society alike. More accurately, he focused entirely on managing his trade empire and sought no separate social connections. He had not been born into an ancient noble house, and so he had no lifelong ties to call upon.

“Subtract one bolt.”

“Why?”

“What you have just said is worth exactly one bolt.”

“It is no secret. So you have found its value at last?”

Jin Yeong-gil did not reject the idea of building connections—he simply ignored those that held no worth. “And what of the Tang Clan?”

Instead of an answer, three more tokens clattered onto the table. “With the one deducted, four more bolts.”

Baek Yang-hui found himself thinking, despite himself: *Ah… this man is truly enjoyable to speak with.* There was something genuinely entertaining about his manner.

“You value my distinctiveness that highly?”

“Furthermore, even when the Tang Clan was mentioned, the young lord beside you did not shift his expression in the slightest.” Learning the temperament of the Tang Clan’s heir was evidently worth something as well.

“The Tang Clan… hm. I shall answer that in good time. Continue, will you?”

“Now it is I who would ask you something. Deduct one bolt—you speak of having many enemies, yet you show no caution toward the most dangerous one near you?”

A ruler’s greatest rival was often their own heir. Yet Jin Yeong-gil smiled warmly; it was astonishing how such a stern, cold face could soften so completely.

“It is different. Family can never be one’s enemy.”

Family was different—there was truth in that. Still, he wondered just how far that definition extended.

“It is my turn to speak again.”

“Then earn your payment and speak well.”

“The physician Jeom-chang brought with him is not a disciple of the Divine Physician Seong-su.”

“Ah—so you truly are the Divine Physician’s pupil, then?”

“Nor am I.”

Jin Yeong-gil looked confused, then plainly bewildered. “My son said you made quite the stir. Was all of it merely a pretense?”

“I did have ties to him once, yes—but never as a disciple.” It had been a connection from his past life, but the past was the past. It was no lie, not truly.

Jin Yeong-gil picked up another token. “I must ask this: when you began, how did you intend to resolve any trouble that might arise?”

To be honest, he had not even considered that there would be trouble when he had acted. “At first, I simply borrowed the Divine Physician’s reputation so I might treat you quickly. I never imagined Jeom-chang would bring an imposter claiming to be his disciple to stay as your guest.”

A voice rang out, carried by sound transmission: *—That was your only reason, Brother Hui!*

Dang-geon had listened calmly this whole time, giving nothing away—yet now, he could hold back no longer.

“Now that I think of it, you never revealed your true identity at first. Once you had healed me, you believed the deception would not matter.”

“I did. Even if matters have grown more complicated, they remain well within my control.”

At this point in their conversation, Jin Yeong-gil ought to have asked one question. *He must be wondering… why take such risks, approaching with lies and speaking with such boldness?* His original plan had been to build ties and secure steady support—so any excuse would sound hollow and weak. The appearance of the Ming Cult had given him a credible reason now, but even so…

Instead of asking, Jin Yeong-gil sank into quiet thought. *Truly worthy of the title “World-Dominating”—he sees straight to the heart of things.* He did not waste breath on trivialities, likely because he measured every single thing by its worth. He seemed to despise any effort that served no purpose.

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Ten tokens spilled across the table.

“Speak what is worth ten bolts.”

“Is your mind wandering because you lack a piece to complete your game?”

“It is like crossing a stone bridge of stepping stones and finding a gap waiting mid-way.”

It was a fine turn of phrase. Words worth ten bolts. He would deliver it in a single, clear line.

“Brother Dang—shall we renew our ten-year covenant?”

“…Hm? What do you mean, Brother Hui?”

He smiled, raising one hand. Fingers spread wide, then slowly closed into a fist, as though grasping the whole world.

“The Baek Clan will secure control of all major waterways within ten years.”

“The Baek Clan is based in Gangseo.”

“Well? Is it worth ten bolts?”

Jin Yeong-gil stared at him for a long moment, torn between disbelief and suspicion. He did not blurt out an incredulous question—and that pleased Baek Yang-hui more than anything else could have.

“Ah… I would share my own dream with you, too.”

“Speak it.”

“A man ought to hear the words ‘best under heaven’ spoken of him at least once in his life.”

Jin Yeong-gil’s expression shifted dramatically. Just as he had expected. For all his age and illness, Jin Yeong-gil was a man of ambition—and he knew full well that being called a wealthy tycoon would never satisfy him.

Clatter! Nearly twenty tokens struck the table’s surface.

“One more thing. But if your words are not what I wish to hear, I shall take every last one back.”

Without hesitation, Baek Yang-hui answered at once.

“Appoint Jeom-chang to your service.”

A heartbeat later, the exact same knowing look settled upon both Baek Yang-hui’s face and Jin Yeong-gil’s.