Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 22: The Azure Dragon Academy is Hiring!

It took several days just to put Old Man Heos inheritance in order. Madam Son still seemed to doubt my identity, but Cheong Cheon abused his authority as a civil official and kept her busy.

Madam Son, I received a report that the Scarlet Palaces alcohol was watered down.

T-Thats nonsense! Who is the one falsely accusing me of such things?

I cannot reveal the identity of the whistleblower for their protection. May I inspect the liquor storeroom?

Mr. Constable, would you mind speaking to me in private for a bit? Madam Son whispered seductively, but inside, she was thinking: To hell with this incorruptible constable and his perpetually expressionless face! This mans bad news for all merchants!

Madam Son, when I came in just now, I noticed that many of the girls here were badly bruised. Was there an assault on the brothel?

No, its not like that

Looking at the kitchen, I suspect there may be hygiene lapses in this place. Please summon the person in charge of kitchen cleanliness.

W-Why are you suddenly doing this to me!

If that isnt a perfect use (abuse) of power, then I dont know what else would qualify. To make things worse for Madam Son, Cheong Cheon has been plotting to make her life miserable for a very, very long time. She wont shake him off that easily!

Madam Son was the culprit who had kicked out Cheong Cheons mother while she was pregnant, and I understood that Cheong Cheon was hell bent on getting revenge on her. That was why, even though I was still using her for the time being, I accepted that I wouldnt be able to exploit her for much longer.

Cheong Cheon even gave me a preemptive warning, saying, Madam Son will be thrown into prison soon. The charges include multiple instances of tax evasion, assault and coercion, among others. If I sum up all of her crimes, Im quite sure shell be sentenced with life imprisonment.

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How soon is soon? I need some time to find a replacement for her.

Would five or six months be enough?

I thought about it for a while and nodded, saying, Yes, its enough. Shes too greedy anyway, and I was already thinking of getting rid of her when the time was appropriate.

One of the crimes Madam Son was guilty of was embezzlement, and only an idiot would keep an employee like that. However, if she was arrested too abruptly, the Scarlet Palace brothel would also be shut down. Heo Cheon (that is, my fake persona) needed at least a few months to establish himself as Old Man Heos successor and train Madam Sons replacement.

Also, about the Scarlet Palace Cheong Cheons voice trailed off as he hesitated, wondering if what he wanted to say would antagonize me.

I finished his sentence for him, saying, I will get rid of the whorehouse and leave only the hostess club. Not right now, but eventually. The girls need to earn a living even while learning new skills, right? If youre really against it though, I can send them temporarily to the inns, taverns, and restaurants.

In general, brothels had two different types of operations: a whorehouse where prostitutes sold their bodies, and a hostess club where courtesans sang, danced, and played music while serving and conversing with men without crossing the line.

Of course, the whorehouse made a lot more money, but I didnt want to get myself involved in illegal businesses.

Cheong Cheon stared wide-eyed at me and said, Thank you.

Dont bother. Im not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I just dont want to ruin my reputation and make enemies unnecessarily.

As one of the biggest loan sharks in the city, Old Man Heo had a lot of enemies and was involved in many scandals. I wanted his inheritance, but I really didnt want to inherit all the negative stuff as well.

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Earning more money is good, but not at the expense of my life, or that of my familys.

As I said earlier, it is my motto in this life that I should avoid making enemies as much as possible.

I also have to think about my future relationship with Cheong Cheon. Right now, he owes me his life (Im helping him treat the side effects of the Blood Rain Demonic Art) and Im blackmailing him, but I dont see that kind of one-sided relationship lasting for very long. I also dont intend to make him my subordinate, so

I grinned and held out my hand to Cheong Cheon, saying, Lets get along well from now on. Also, dont talk to me so politely. I think were about the same age.

Okay.

Cheong Cheon stared at my outstretched hand in bewilderment for a while before reaching out and shaking it. You know, I feel rather relieved now, he added.

Eh? Relieved? About what?

That youre the one managing that mans inheritance.

Cheong Cheon did not want Old Man Heos inheritance, but at the same time, he also felt responsible for it. He did not want Heo Il or Madam Son getting their hands on the businesses and making the ordinary citizens miserable. That was the reason why he didnt burn the will in the end, since he couldnt have either of those two attempting to forge it.

I can tellthat unlike those two, youre not someone who would resort to dirty deeds just for profit.

As you can see, my hands are neat and clean.

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Except for the bad luck smeared all over them.

We grinned at each other, and it was probably then that we became friends. After all, if I consider it as me gaining a connection with a civil servant in exchange for saving his life, Id say we were pretty even. It wasnt like I was continually exploiting him for my own needs, right?

All in all, everything about this case had turned out for the best, except for one tiny little detail.

Who on earth was that black cloaked man who gave Cheong Cheon that flawed Blood Rain Demonic Art?

I thought about who that person could me, but nothing came to me. The Blood Rain Demonic Art, though not one of the most powerful demonic arts, was most definitely sufficient to create a master as long as the practitioner had the talent and put in the effort. It wasnt one that should be spreading around the streets randomly.

The only people who can get their hands on the manual for the Blood Rain Demonic Art are the martial arts instructors and people above the squad leader (military)/division head (management) rank

That brings me back to the question, has the Blood Cult really been annihilated? If so, then where did all its treasures and martial arts knowledge welcomes you.

And what about the (faulty) manuals I wrote describing the four absolute masters martial arts?

See you, I waved Cheong Cheon goodbye.

About the solution to my problem, if theres anything I dont understand, Ill go look for you.

Sure, Ill answer any question you have.

With that, I left Cheong Cheon and went to meet Bok Man-Chun.

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Greetings, Young Master.

Perhaps because Bok Man-Chun was from Nanchang, he was very quick to adapt to his new circumstances. He gave me a quick report even though I didnt ask him to, saying, This is a list of inns, taverns, and shops owned by the deceased Old Man Heo. He also invested in a farm and an escort agency. If you look here

As Old Man Heos bodyguard, Bok Man-Chun had followed him around everywhere and did much of his dirty work, especially the ones that needed force. However, this had also given him the opportunity to study how Old Man Heo conducted his business, and gain an interest in it himself.

You organized it well. Thank you for your hard work, I said politely. Although Manager Jang was the current administrator of the Scarlet Palace as well as Old Man Heos other businesses, I planned to pass that position onto the more trustworthy Bok Man-Chun soon, which meant that I needed to build up a good rapport with him.

Haha, youre welcome.

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