Chapter 91 : The Slacker Opens a Clinic (1)

Chapter 91: The Slacker Opens a Clinic (1)

Money?

Did he just say money?

What are people saying out there?

Huh? You’re from the Beggar Sect and you don’t even know that? Hey, just try hanging around that man for a bit. The moment you even hear the word “Wi,” you’ll want to plug your ears.

If you want to die of old age, the second-best option is to hear things about that man and forget them immediately, and the best is to not hear them at all.

What?

He’s not greedy?

Frugal?

Don’t be ridiculous.

That’s a bit much. I can’t believe they’re trying to paint that embodiment of greed as frugal. I thought not even gold wrapping paper could make that look good, but wow—people are creative.

That man was absolutely obsessed with money.

What? How can a slacker be obsessed with money?

What kind of nonsense is that, you fool.

What does being lazy have to do with liking money?

He just didn’t want to work himself, that’s all. It’s not like there’s anyone in the world who hates money. Everyone likes money. He liked money too—he just didn’t want to earn it himself.

Huh? Then how did he make money?

Well…

He’d find someone else to do the work for him. And then he’d latch onto them like a tick and suck money out of them.

What kind of fool would fall for that?

Hehehehehe.

Hey, have you ever heard of Divine Hand?

*         *         *

“You… you’re not covering for me?”

Wi Yeonho stared blankly at Jin Soa.

“Cover for you?”

Just from the tone of that absurd line, Jin Soa realized what kind of situation he was in, and cold sweat began to form on his back.

“If you worked yourself to the bone for an entire year, do you think you could even earn one tael of gold?”

“...Probably not?”

He had heard that successful physicians could earn two taels a year working in someone else's clinic… but that only applied to top-tier physicians with years of experience. Jin Soa, who was still in the learning phase, wasn’t someone anyone would pay that kind of money to. At best, he might be able to scrape together half a tael in a year.

Even assuming his pay increased over time, he would have to work like a dog for twenty to thirty years just to pay off twenty taels.

“You want me to pay all that back?”

“Huh? You thought you could borrow someone else’s money and just walk away without paying it back? And what was that? Your path? Why should I pave your damn path with my money?”

Well, there was no arguing with that.

Jin Soa shut his mouth like he’d swallowed honey. There wasn’t a single word Wi Yeonho said that was wrong.

“So up until now, you were dreaming about success without even thinking about paying people back? Have you no conscience?”

“...I’m sorry.”

Even Ha Daebung nodded along from the side, making Jin Soa feel even more like a criminal. He found himself apologizing without even realizing it.

“Does it end with an apology?! It ends when you pay the money back!”

“If you could just give me a little more time...”

“Until when?”

That moment... how should one put it...

Wi Yeonho, who had always looked decent despite his questionable behavior, suddenly wore a completely different expression. Why had Jin Soa failed to notice that mischievous streak painted so clearly across his face?

“Until when do I need to pay it back?”

“Well, you don’t have any money. What else can you do? Just pay it back however you can, whenever you can.”

“Young Hero Wi!”

In an instant, Wi Yeonho’s face started to look kind again.

Mischievous streak? What mischievous streak? All of that must’ve been Jin Soa’s...

“But! If you don’t touch the principal, the interest keeps piling up, you hear me? The interest! That’s how money works! By the time you realize how scary compound interest is, it’s already too late!”

Never mind.

This man was a devil.

“I’m not as cruel as that guy. Still, I have principles to keep. Uncle Manor Lord, what’s the legal recommended interest rate?”

“Two-tenths per year.”

“You heard that, right?”

“...Two-tenths?”

Two-tenths a year...

With a principal of twenty taels, that would be four taels in interest every year.

“Hahahahaha...”

Jin Soa burst into hearty laughter and then collapsed on the spot.

“I don’t care anymore! Take my liver if you want, you bastards!”

His anguished cry echoed throughout the Silver River Pawnshop.

“Stamp it.”

“...”

Jin Soa stared at the document placed before him.

‘So this is a slave contract.’

In exchange for using the Sacred Hand Grounds’ name and having some interest waived, he had to sign a pledge stating that he could not work for any place other than the Sacred Hand Grounds until he fully repaid the twenty taels.

“Young Hero Wi.”

“Yeah?”

“Do we really have to be this transactional with each other?”

“It’s because of our relationship that I’m giving you such generous terms.”

Generous?

I’m about to be destroyed—what’s generous about that?

“Soa.”

“Yes.”

“There’s no such thing as relations in front of money.”

“...”

“Money is the kind of thing that can tear even parents and children apart. You won’t find anyone else in the world who’d let you pay this much back without interest and on your own schedule.”

That... that wasn’t exactly wrong. So why did it still feel like he was getting swindled?

“Let go of your hesitation and stamp it.”

“...If I work at the Sacred Hand Grounds, how much will my salary be?”

“Well, that depends…”

Wi Yeonho gave a sly grin.

“Generously. I’ll generously give you one tael of gold per year.”

“Is there any chance of a raise?”

“Depends on how you do.”

So, there’s none.

That man would never bother to check whether Jin Soa was working or not, so a raise was off the table.

So this was…

A twenty-year slave contract.

Jin Soa turned his head and looked out the window.

The sky was so clear that it kept making his eyes water. Who could’ve imagined that at fifteen, he would be signing a twenty-year slave contract?

“Think positively, positively. This is your chance to spread the name Sacred Hand Grounds across the Central Plains again.”

“It feels more like I’m trading my life for the Sacred Hand Grounds.”

“It’s good for you, good for me, good for everyone.”

Jin Soa felt a strong urge to grab both corners of Wi Yeonho’s grinning mouth and tear it wide open. But Wi Yeonho was a top-tier martial artist, while he was just a powerless physician. What could he do?

“Aren’t you going to stamp it?”

“I am.”

With a groan, Jin Soa sighed and pressed his seal on the document.

“Hehehehe…”

Wi Yeonho reached out and retrieved the paper.

“But!”

“Huh?”

Jin Soa’s eyes blazed with fury.

“Since it’s come to this, you’d better invest properly in the Sacred Hand Grounds! What are you going to do about our current lack of funds? If you don’t set up a proper clinic, I’m going on strike!”

“Lack of funds? What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you say the money you had wasn’t enough?”

“It’s not.”

“Sixty taels isn’t nearly enough, you said!”

“When did I say I only had sixty taels?”

“...What?”

Jin Soa tilted his head.

He was sure his calculations were right.

“You had more money than that?”

“Do I look like the kind of guy who walks around with money?”

No, definitely not.

And he didn’t look like someone capable of earning it either. Even if someone offered him a tael of gold a day, he’d probably lie down and sleep because it was too much trouble.

A man who refused to work—how in the world was he making money?

“Then some hidden fortune, maybe?”

“As if.”

“Then where the hell did you get the money?”

Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue.

“Where did I go after leaving the gambling house?”

“What?”

After the gambling house… was he talking about Golden Flower Manor?

After he left Golden Flower Manor...

“You went to Black Land Manor.”

“That’s it.”

“Ah…”

No wonder that man had gone all the way to Black Land Manor despite how much he hated trouble—he had a purpose!

Jin Soa’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had hit him.

Black Land Manor was underworld territory.

They were the type to build wealth through high-interest loans, collecting seat fees, and whatnot. Though some said they weren’t as profitable as they looked, it was still one of the most powerful black factions in Wuhan—there was no way they lacked money.

After all, it was a place that amassed wealth through every kind of illegal act.

“They’d really hoarded quite a bit.”

“You swallowed it all?”

“Yeah. I cleaned it up.”

Jin Soa shouted in disbelief.

“That money was wrung from innocent civilians! How could you just swallow it like that?!”

“So what?”

“You should’ve shared it!”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue again.

“But they earned it fair and square through lending. Isn’t that technically legal?”

“What about the seat fees?”

“The authorities don’t say anything about it, so who am I to call it unjust? That’s their own business.”

Jin Soa tried to object, but Wi Yeonho just kept talking.

“And the original owners told me to take it. So what’s the problem?”

“Did you threaten them or something?”

“Threaten? I just brought them in and asked what they wanted to do with it.”

“...By the time they opened their vault, weren’t they already crawling on the floor?”

“No one was standing.”

That’s a threat!

Who says threats need weapons? That’s textbook intimidation!

Jin Soa stared at Wi Yeonho again, his eyes fresh with realization. The more he looked, the more new layers he uncovered, like peeling an onion.

He had thought Wi Yeonho was just the laziest man under heaven—but he turned out to be a martial arts expert, a gambling master, and now\...

“You’re evil.”

“That’s slander.”

Wi Yeonho wiggled his finger to deny Jin Soa’s words.

“No one got hurt. I burned all the loan contracts in there. No one should suffer because of those.”

“Wise words indeed.”

“Shouldn’t you start by burning mine, then?”

“Come on. I swapped yours for a standard contract at a legal interest rate, didn’t I?”

“Uuugh…”

Jin Soa slumped forward and buried his face into the table while Wi Yeonho and Ha Daebung continued their conversation.

“So, how much do we need?”

“I estimate over a hundred taels.”

“Hmm…”

Wi Yeonho tilted his head, then said,

“I’ll give you one tael as a service fee. I want you to handle everything related to this project.”

“With pleasure.”

Watching the two work in perfect sync, Jin Soa sighed deeply.

“Th-then I’ll head home for now.”

“Huh? Already? We still have so much to discuss.”

“...It’s just… the shock is too much.”

“Click, click, such a fragile little boy.”

Wi Yeonho, who constantly called him a “kid,” wasn’t even that much older.

Jin Soa was brimming with resentment, but he decided that continuing the conversation was meaningless. He rose from his seat without a word, waved his hand half-heartedly in a vague gesture of farewell, and staggered outside.

“Click, click. Kids these days are so soft.”

As Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue, Ha Daebung, who had been silently watching, asked him cautiously,

“Lord Inspector.”

“Hey, don’t call me that. I told you I’m not a Royal Inspector anymore.”

“Then, Young Master Wi.”

“That’s a bit itchy to hear too.”

Ha Daebung asked in a serious tone,

“Why did you do it?”

“Huh? Do what?”

“This is the dumbest contract I’ve ever seen. Why would you show that much generosity to Young Hero Jin?”

“Huh?”

Wi Yeonho gave an awkward chuckle.

Jin Soa, who had collapsed just outside from his legs giving out, perked up at the sound coming from inside and pressed his ear closely to the door.

‘What is this about?’

Generosity?

What generosity had Wi Yeonho shown him? All he’d received was a document that was practically a slave contract.

Jin Soa focused his ears tightly on the voices coming from inside.

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