Cha Seong-tae asked.

"Your house has completely burned down. Where will you sleep now?"

"There are plenty of rooms in the brothel. Why do you ask?"

"Well, of course, I was going to suggest that you take the best rooms, the ones the Lords used to stay in. There were three of them, after all. That means there are three good rooms available."

"I’ll sleep anywhere. Just take care of those guys first."

Cha Seong-tae spoke threateningly to the men kneeling before him.

"Don't go to Siwharu tonight. Stay at Maehwaru. I'll see you later."

"Yes."

All of them had families in Ilyang County, so they had no way to escape—they were locals, bound to this place.

As the trembling men disappeared, Cha Seong-tae looked at me.

"Is there anything else…?"

I stared at the ashes of the Zaha Guesthouse for a moment before speaking.

"Rebuild the Zaha Guesthouse properly. I'm not joking."

"I’ll keep that in mind."

"If you find a man skilled in construction during the rebuilding process, keep an eye on him and tell me. That person will be the head of the Structural Gate."

"Structural Gate?"

"You’ll be in charge of the Rehabilitation Gate in the brothel, Uncle Geum Cheol-yong will handle the Iron Gate, and the head of the Structural Gate will oversee all the men who build and maintain structures."

"Rehabilitation Gate, Structural Gate, Iron Gate… Is there more?"

"There has to be. First, they’ll enter the Rehabilitation Gate. Then, depending on what they want to do, they can be transferred to either the Structural Gate or the Iron Gate."

The Hao Gate was fundamentally meant to ensure that people had a means to earn a living.

To survive, people needed work.

If there was no work, the Hao Gate would provide it.

That was the foundation of the sect.

Any disputes or trouble that arose in the process would be handled by the sect leader—out of personal ambition.

And in fulfilling that ambition, I would grow stronger and settle all the grudges from my past life.

Cha Seong-tae responded.

"Oh… Not a bad idea. Like an alliance?"

I replied in a low tone.

"Just a union of working men."

Cha Seong-tae awkwardly laughed at the shift in mood.

"Not bad. But if it grows too large, won’t the discipline and structure become a mess?"

"I don't care if it becomes a mess."

"It's still an organization."

I was the enemy of both the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Cult, both of which were known for their strict discipline. Naturally, I had no intention of creating something similar.

"My organization just needs to survive in Jianghu for a long time. That alone is enough of a purpose. I’m not trying to build some great empire. I’m creating the most disorderly, long-lasting force in this godforsaken Jianghu."

Cha Seong-tae swallowed a curse in his mind.

'What kind of nonsense is that?'

Of course, once the foundation of the Hao Gate was established, I would move on to other plans.

"Won't groups like the Black Cat Gang just sit back and watch?"

Cha Seong-tae asked, and I smiled as I answered.

"The organization will be so chaotic that they won’t even know where to start. That’s the key. Everyone just does what they can to make a living. As long as the backlash is directed at the Hao Gate’s leader, that’s fine."

"What about a combat force?"

"You need capable men to form one. That’s for later."

"Hmm."

Once I had enough skilled fighters, I could establish the Killing Gate.

For now, I was the lone sect leader of the Killing Gate.

The future members were all those I knew would rise in power. It was my job to recruit them.

Additionally, those adept at gathering intelligence would later be grouped into the Intelligence Gate.

This way, I would form the Life Gate, Iron Gate, Structural Gate, Killing Gate, and Intelligence Gate…

I planned to create an endless number of sub-groups.

Then, I would leave them alone to continue their own livelihoods, only reaching out when necessary.

My goal was simply to ensure that no one starved to death.

I was probably the only one in Jianghu insane enough to attempt something like this.

When trouble arose, the major powers in Jianghu would seek out the Hao Gate leader.

And when that time came, I would make a scene—just as I had done before when I became a public enemy of the martial world.

A man who flies into a rage when the weak are oppressed… I thought it wouldn't hurt to have at least one such person in this ruthless Jianghu.

That was all I wanted.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

With my temperament, it was only a matter of time before I became a public enemy again.

Therefore, the Hao Gate and I would grow together.

Cha Seong-tae, looking different from usual, suddenly addressed me informally.

"Zaha, can I say something?"

"Go ahead."

Cha Seong-tae spoke with a peculiar expression.

"I apologize for what happened before. I completely misjudged you. Honestly, I even thought you had a powerful master backing you, but that wasn’t the case. You just changed."

"…That's it?"

Cha Seong-tae nodded and asked.

"That's it. What’s the name of the alliance we’ll belong to?"

"Hao Gate."

Hao Gate was the first group I ever created. At this time, it wasn’t something Cha Seong-tae could have known about.

He lowered his head slightly and spoke in a quiet voice.

"Hao Gate… So, should I start calling you Sect Leader now?"

There was a shift in his tone. I nodded and replied.

"Call me whatever you want."

Cha Seong-tae casually asked.

"But why did you spare me? I don't understand."

"I plan to torment you a little."

Cha Seong-tae immediately understood my words.

"I see. Better than dying, I suppose. Got it."

He was right.

That’s just how life was.

I took one last look at the ashes of the Zaha Guesthouse and stood up.

"Let’s go."

Cha Seong-tae, having made up his mind, adjusted his tone and responded.

"Yes, Sect Leader."

***

I wandered around the empty remains of the Zaha Guesthouse like an idle youth with nothing to do, or I shut myself inside the vacant rooms of the brothel, devoting myself to training in the Golden Nine Wanderer Technique.

I had to build up my inner energy, even if it was just a handful more.

Because in my past life, I had learned that even a handful of inner energy could be the difference between life and death.

Of course, I wasn’t only focusing on inner energy cultivation.

I also continuously refined my palm techniques and footwork.

However, training my legs was proving difficult. My waist, legs, and knees were stiff, likely because my body had been neglected during my time as a beggar.

So I holed up in different corners of the brothel, spending eighty percent of my time on the Golden Nine Wanderer Technique and the remaining twenty percent on external martial arts, immersing myself in training.

Meanwhile, Cha Seong-tae handled all the external affairs.

Not that I particularly trusted him.

And Cha Seong-tae certainly didn’t particularly like me.

But the two of us managed to get along well enough as time passed.

Cha Seong-tae found and introduced a young architect who had recently made a name for himself and placed an order for the reconstruction of the Zaha Guesthouse. Until the architects arrived for inspection, Jo Sam-pyeong’s underlings and the idle men of the town worked together to erect the outer walls of the guesthouse.

And just like that, another twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.

Then, through Cha Seong-tae’s report, I learned that the Black Cat Gang had come looking for me.

I thought to myself, Well, of course, they came. They were bound to sooner or later.

"Who came?"

"…The ones who regularly received entertainment. They went to Ihwaru last night and must have heard about everything that’s been happening lately. They’re the ones who were always treated by the Jo Brothers."

"How many?"

"Two. I’ve guided them to Maehwaru for now. How should we proceed?"

"I’ll meet them."

Cha Seong-tae hesitated and asked cautiously.

"Are you going to fight?"

"They’ll probably say something like: 'Pay tribute. If you do, we’ll overlook the fact that you killed the Lords. Come and pay your respects to the Black Cat Gang properly.' Something along those lines."

"And if they do say that? It doesn’t seem like we’re in a position to fight the Black Cat Gang just yet."

"You aren’t. I am."

"So we’re all supposed to just die?"

"They’ll try to kill me first. But I won’t die. Where is Maehwaru?"

"On the third floor. But still, shouldn’t we at least try to talk our way out of this first…?"

"I’ll decide after I meet them. And honestly, do you think there’s any point in pleasantries? I killed all three of the Jo Brothers."

"That’s true. But they’re money-hungry bastards. In the end, what they really want might just be money."

"Oh, they’re that kind of people?"

I was briefly lost in thought.

"Money, huh…"

I actually knew a bit about the Black Cat Gang’s enforcers who frequently came to Ilyang County around this time.

It wasn’t as if their assigned members would have suddenly changed overnight from what I remembered of the future.

Especially when it came to money-hungry bastards, a few familiar faces surfaced in my memory.

***

Cha Seong-tae bowed slightly and spoke.

"Then, I’ll leave you to your conversation."

As I stepped into Maehwaru and casually sat down in an empty seat, the two men scanned me thoroughly, as if dissecting me, before introducing themselves.

"I am Jeon Pung of the Black Cat Gang’s Golden Phoenix Pavilion."

"I am Han Go-uk of the Golden Phoenix Pavilion."

Jeon Pung and Han Go-uk introduced themselves in an arrogant tone.

It was no surprise. They were the type of men who didn’t even consider the Jo Brothers to be worth their attention.

These two were exactly who I thought they were—the Black Cat Gang’s tax collectors.

The title tax collector might sound grand, but in reality, they were nothing more than glorified debt collectors who went around extorting money. They weren’t particularly strong.

Still, seeing them again in person after so long brought a mix of emotions. But along with that familiarity, a surge of murderous intent rose in me, and I had to clamp my lips shut for a moment.

The reason was simple.

It was the subordinates and colleagues of these very men who had originally set fire to the Zaha Guesthouse.

The only difference now was that I had met them earlier than I had in my past life, while they were still in charge of extorting this region.

Jeon Pung continued.

"I hear you've been killing Jo’s men without care. Is that true?"

I met their gaze and answered.

"It’s true."

"Why? Explain it to us in detail."

As soon as I was asked to explain in detail, all interest in doing so vanished.

"They tried to kill me and failed. I was the stronger one, so I had no reason to die."

As I continued to glare at them, Jeon Pung and Han Go-uk seemed to sense that something about this situation was off.

I spoke again in an even harder tone.

"And besides, you two aren’t judges. Why should I explain anything to you? Are you related to the Jo Brothers? Doesn’t seem like it."

Jeon Pung and Han Go-uk exchanged glances.

The unexpected response left them momentarily speechless.

"……."

I continued staring at them.

"Well? Say something."

If they attacked me right now, I would have no choice but to kill them on the spot.

A long silence followed.

These two had been the ones collecting tributes from Ilyang County.

They had amassed considerable wealth by pocketing a portion of the collected funds, enough to climb the ranks within the Black Cat Gang’s external branch.

That meant they weren’t men who had advanced through pure martial prowess. They were men who rose through administrative and financial matters.

In short, money-hungry monkeys.

Jeon Pung finally spoke again.

"The ones you killed had received permission from the gang to establish their faction."

I answered in a dull tone.

"So?"

"If we report this to the Black Cat Gang as it is, you won’t be able to survive. You’ve interfered in the gang’s affairs. Do you really want us to report this as it is?"

These guys had nothing but money on their minds. Even now, their stance was clear—if I paid them off, they’d talk things over with their superiors.

"I see what you’re getting at. I should give you a bribe. Fine, let’s have a drink first. Lady Son?"

Lady Son opened the door to Maehwaru’s room and looked at me silently.

"……."

"Bring out that damnable Du Kang liquor. And get some side dishes, whatever you see fit."

Lady Son nodded and stepped out.

The ‘damnable Du Kang liquor’ referred to Third Grade Du Kang liquor, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ of course.

These bastards weren’t going to pay for the drinks anyway, so serving them First Grade Du Kang liquor would’ve been a waste.

As Lady Son left without a word, Jeon Pung asked curiously.

"Is that woman mute?"

"Of course not."

"Then why doesn’t she speak?"

"I once told her that if she ran her mouth carelessly, I’d tear it open. Ever since then, she’s kept it shut."

"……."

I pointed to my lips with my finger and continued staring at them.

"In Jianghu, whether you're a man or a woman, it’s important to know when to keep your mouth shut. Don’t you agree?"

For a moment, the two men avoided my gaze.

Their original plan had been to intimidate me into paying up, but now they were reconsidering their approach.