Chapter 21
With the Black Tiger Gang having fallen, those who had borrowed money were, in effect, freed from their debts. The gang leader and all the key figures were dead—there was no one left to repay.
However, things were different if contracts still existed.
You might think that if the lenders were dead, the contracts would become nothing more than scraps of paper.
But the world is full of people who ignore logic and common sense. In particular, underworld thugs and unorthodox martial artists are notorious for being impossible to reason with.
They could come up with all kinds of excuses—claiming the Black Tiger Gang had actually been under Mo Yong-bi’s control, or something equally absurd—and threaten people into paying up anyway.
Naturally, the most reliable solution was to burn the contracts themselves.
“E-excuse me… Are you Young Master Mo Yong of the Moyong family?”
At the question from a man with a plain, unassuming face, Mo Yong-bi nodded.
“I am.”
“I-I see.”
The man avoided making eye contact with him.
Mo Yong-bi chuckled softly.
“Why is that?”
“Well, um—”
At that moment, the woman beside the man spoke in a trembling voice.
“Please forgive him.”
“Forgive him? What do you mean?”
“He didn’t know that Young Master Mo Yong was such an extraordinary person when he did what he did. If you could forgive him just this once, we’ll repay your kindness for the rest of our lives!”
What was she talking about?
Mo Yong-bi looked the man up and down.
His clothes were old but neatly kept. Still, there were oil stains and splashes of seasoning on the front and around the stomach area.
Between the clothes and the calluses on his thumb and forefinger, it was obvious what kind of work he did.
“What is your name?”
“M-my name, sir?”
“Yes.”
“I am… Beom Gwang.”
The man’s face turned especially pale as he answered. Seeing his name being asked, he seemed convinced he was about to be severely punished.
Mo Yong-bi didn’t even need to ask to know what had happened between his distant relative and Beom Gwang.
“Beom Gwang, the place you hit still stings.”
“Gah!”
Beom Gwang immediately prostrated himself.
“Please forgive me, Young Master!”
His voice shook uncontrollably.
Mo Yong-bi waved his hand with a bitter smile.
“I’m joking. Get up.”
He had heard that his relative drank himself senseless in the marketplace day after day.
Naturally, people wouldn’t look kindly on a drunkard. Judging from Suhyang’s reaction, it seemed he had caused more than his fair share of trouble.
Who would like a good-for-nothing who, despite being physically weak, relied on a collapsing family name while stirring up constant trouble?
“I’m the one infamous in the marketplace for causing accidents, am I not? If anything, I should be the one apologizing.”
“…Pardon?”
“I take this opportunity to apologize for all the wrongs I’ve committed.”
Mo Yong-bi bowed deeply.
This apology wasn’t just for Beom Gwang, but for all the unnamed people who had suffered because of his relative’s behavior.
Why apologize for something he didn’t personally do?
Because he had no choice. If he was going to live on as Mo Yong-bi, then for the sake of restoring the family, he would sometimes have to swallow his anger and smile when he wanted to cry.
It wasn’t just for himself—it was for the family. And when you thought about it, it wasn’t entirely someone else’s problem.
Even if not from the direct line, blood was still blood. He had to consider it his own fault.
That sincerity came through in his apology.
“There won’t be anything like this again. If I ever get drunk and trouble you all again, I’ll go live in the mountains.”
He meant it sincerely, but many people chuckled. They seemed to take it in good humor.
Mo Yong-bi turned to Beom Gwang.
“When I come by again, I’ll be counting on you for some good food. I promise I won’t cause trouble.”
“Well, if you’re coming as a guest, of course I’ll serve you the best food.”
By Beom Gwang’s age, he knew well that people didn’t change easily.
Still, seeing Mo Yong-bi’s attitude, he responded warmly. His wife kept elbowing him from the side, but he ignored it.
He was a sharp man.
“I feel like apologizing all day wouldn’t be enough, but unfortunately, I have something I must do.”
Mo Yong-bi pulled out a fire striker from his waist.
“Among those who borrowed money from the Black Tiger Gang, some did it thoughtlessly, some out of desperation. Some were scammed, and some borrowed with plans to run away.”
“……”
“No matter the circumstances, the Black Tiger Gang was trash. I borrowed a hundred nyang from them myself, and within days it had turned into one thousand eighty nyang. Oh—and seventy mun.”
Fury flashed across the crowd’s faces.
Few people here had borrowed directly from the Black Tiger Gang—debtors rarely dared show their faces in places like this.
But the Black Tiger Gang hadn’t only run loan scams.
They were involved in countless frauds, assaults, rapes, and even murders.
To the people here, the Black Tiger Gang were vermin they couldn’t bear to share air with.
Naturally, the anger was overwhelming.
“I was so angry I smashed everything, but it felt wrong to leave things unfinished. So, in front of everyone here, I intend to burn all the promissory notes and business contracts.”
Mo Yong-bi shrugged.
“Any objections?”
The crowd roared in unison.
“None!”
“Burn them!”
“Burn everything!”
The once-quiet plaza erupted into a frenzy.
Mo Yong-bi grinned.
“With your enthusiastic support, I’ll burn them all clean.”
“Woooo!”
Just then—
“W-wait a moment!”
Mo Yong-bi glanced back.
Hwang In-hwa hurried forward, shouting urgently.
“Young Master Mo Yong, please calm down first—”
“It seems Miss Hwang of the Ten Sword Sect opposes burning them.”
Mo Yong-bi turned back to the crowd.
“Does anyone know why she’d oppose this?”
Hundreds of eyes instantly fixed on Hwang In-hwa.
The fear that had once filled those gazes was gone. They now looked sharp enough to tear someone apart.
Hwang In-hwa unconsciously sucked in a breath.
These weren’t the looks people usually gave her. They were filled with rage and killing intent—like she might be beaten to death if she spoke carelessly.
“Could it be that the Ten Sword Sect was backing the Black Tiger Gang?”
“W-what?!”
“If not, there’s no reason to oppose burning these documents. Or perhaps Miss Hwang personally had ties to the Black Tiger Gang?”
The crowd’s gaze grew even more vicious.
In that brief moment, more than half of them seemed convinced she truly was connected, some even radiating killing intent.
Hwang In-hwa blurted out without thinking,
“Th-that’s ridiculous! Why would I associate with such lowly trash—!”
“Lowly trash? So that’s how you usually view people.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Who said it was?”
The situation was spiraling out of control. Hwang In-hwa was seething.
Mo Yong-bi’s talent for twisting words had always been unparalleled. After years of suppressing his anger, his sarcasm had only sharpened.
“So, whether they’re ‘lowly’ or not, they’re definitely trash. Are you opposing the burning of these documents?”
“Well…”
“Answer clearly.”
Hwang In-hwa hesitated.
In her heart, she wanted to shout, Of course not!, but there were too many eyes on her.
Yet she couldn’t back down either.
Muhan was one of the most economically active cities in the Central Plains. The sums of money involved were on an entirely different scale.
Those promissory notes were probably worth hundreds of thousands of nyang. Combined with the business contracts, it was a staggering fortune going up in flames.
No… I can’t let them burn!
At that moment, Ming tugged at her sleeve.
When she turned, she saw desperation in his eyes—telling her not to do anything reckless.
Hwang In-hwa bit her lip.
The water was already spilled, but she couldn’t give up.
More than the money, it was the opportunity that hurt.
If I can just take those… Father will trust me more than my sister.
She lifted her head to speak, then suddenly swallowed.
Mo Yong-bi’s expression was… strange.
A smile that crushed one’s insides—his mocking gaze was masterful.
Her anger surged, but at the same time, she realized something.
If she made one wrong move, she could lose everything before gaining any power within the sect.
“…I don’t oppose it.”
The crowd’s gaze softened slightly.
Mo Yong-bi spoke again.
“If you’re not opposing it, why tell me to calm down? Want to light it yourself?”
“Pardon?”
“Well, I can allow that much. As long as it burns, it doesn’t matter who lights it.”
He handed the fire striker to Hwang In-hwa.
“Go on. Burn it.”
All eyes turned back to her.
Her cheeks trembled.
You insane bastard!
She couldn’t even steal it, and now she was supposed to burn it with her own hands? How would her father look at her then?
She could just refuse and say that since Mo Yong-bi destroyed the Black Tiger Gang, he should handle the cleanup too.
But the words wouldn’t come out.
Absurdly, it was pride that stopped her.
Trash from a third-rate family, daring to—
Mo Yong-bi’s expression spoke volumes.
It clearly said:
“Do you really think you have the guts to light a fire in front of all these people?”
He was openly looking down on her. No—he was looking down on her.
Being scorned by someone she used to toy with nearly drove her mad.
In the end, Hwang In-hwa once again proved the sages right: when pride wrestles with reality, things never end well.
“Fine.”
She snatched the fire striker and opened the tube.
The embers flared to life even without blowing.
Yet as she brought it closer, she hesitated again. Pride was pride, but reality was reality.
Then Mo Yong-bi said casually,
“Do you have a tremor?”
“…?!”
“If you can’t do it, give it back. Seems you’re pretty attached to it.”
Fwoosh.
The spark leapt onto the edge of a promissory note. With the wind just right, the fire spread instantly through the entire bundle.
Fwoooosh!
The thick stack of documents—nearly five gwan in weight—burned fiercely, a spectacular sight.
“Woooo!”
“Waaah!”
The crowd erupted in cheers. Some people cried as they embraced each other.
Hwang In-hwa swallowed hard.
Is this… really okay?!
She hadn’t just failed to take it—she had personally set it on fire.
Her father’s furious scolding echoed in her ears. Her snake-like sister’s laughter flashed before her eyes.
“Grrr!”
This was all Mo Yong-bi’s fault.
She whipped her head around and glared at him.
“You—!”
“Miss Hwang.”
As Mo Yong-bi slowly bowed his head, his expression changed in an instant.
Before she could count to three, his mocking smile vanished, replaced by a blank face—like a monster wearing a human mask.
Her boiling rage cooled instantly.
It was the same expression as before, when he had crushed her and Ming with merciless qi at the gate.
“I can’t live owing debts. That’s why I went directly to the Black Tiger Gang—to repay what I owed.”
“…!”
“Come to think of it, I owe your side a fair bit too, don’t I?”
The corner of Mo Yong-bi’s lips curled upward.
“I’ll come to repay it soon. So don’t accuse me of showing up unannounced like these pieces of trash. Your gate is more expensive, after all
