Elder Ghost-faced Constable drained the entire bowl of Longevity Herb brew in one long gulp.
“Ahh! Now that hits the spot!”
“I would imagine so. It was brewed with a Longevity Herb.”
“I knew it! Longevity Herb… Wait. Did you just say Longevity Herb?”
“Yes.”
At my answer, the elder practically shrieked.
“Are you insane?! Do you have any idea how precious Longevity Herb is?! You couldn’t find one even if you offered a king’s ransom!”
“I know.”
I smiled and continued.
“But to me, your health is worth far more than any Longevity Herb.”
“…”
There wasn’t a shred of falsehood in those words. They came straight from the heart.
It was something I had learned after losing the people precious to me so senselessly in my previous life.
No amount of wealth could ever be more valuable than someone I cared about.
The elder seemed to have been struck speechless by my words and simply stared at me.
And then…
“Ahem! Hrm…”
He deliberately cleared his throat as loudly as he could.
Come on, Elder. You were deeply moved just now, weren’t you?
“I’ll make certain to attend your wedding.”
“Of course you will. Were you planning not to come?”
“You little brat. Do you really have to have the last word every single time?”
“In any case, please stay healthy. I still remember the wager you made with me before.”
The wager was for me to uncover Elder Ghost-faced Constable’s real birthday.
Considering that he had chosen that as the subject of our wager, there was no doubt it would be anything but easy.
The elder scraped every last drop of the Longevity Herb brew from the bowl with his finger, then even sucked his finger clean for good measure.
“The Crown Prince stopped by yesterday.”
“I see.”
“I hear you’re going to Nanjing this time.”
“Yes.”
“That likely means His Majesty is finally beginning to think seriously about the succession. I have a favor to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“The truth is, once a man becomes the Emperor, he can no longer truly trust anything. Absolute power may sound desirable, but it also condemns a man to terrible loneliness. There is no one before whom he can truly bare his heart.”
I had a feeling I knew what the elder was trying to say.
“That is why I would like you to become the Crown Prince’s friend.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince’s friend?”
“To be more precise, I suppose adviser would be the better word.”
The elder continued in a serious voice.
“A lonely ruler always longs for sincere counsel, yet the very power he possesses makes sincere counsel nearly impossible to hear.”
“…”
“The jackals of the imperial court will inevitably offer whatever advice serves their own interests.”
His words made one thing quite clear.
The elder did not think highly of the imperial court’s officials.
“Nothing in this world comes without an exchange. Grant me this favor, and I will grant one of yours in return.”
“That is quite a difficult favor.”
I continued.
“A merchant like me values profit above all else. I might end up advising him for my own benefit even more shamelessly than the officials in the Imperial Palace.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Pardon?”
“You claim that everything you do is for your own benefit, yet somehow the results always seem to be good for everyone else.”
“…”
Well, I had nothing to say to that.
“Hoho.”
Young Lady Seohyang quietly laughed beside us, and an awkward look crossed my face.
“And it sounds considerably more dangerous than you’re letting on.”
There was no chance the people surrounding the Crown Prince would simply leave his adviser alone.
“As expected, you understand quickly. That is precisely why I have no choice but to ask this of you.”
The elder nodded and continued.
“Please. Surely you won’t refuse the request of an old man who has little time left to live.”
“Didn’t you just drink an entire bowl of Longevity Herb brew? I imagine you’ve added at least a few years to your life.”
“…”
“Ahem. That was a joke. I may be lacking, but I’ll do my best to become the finest friend His Highness the Crown Prince could ask for.”
Becoming the Crown Prince’s adviser was a double-edged sword.
Even so, I accepted the proposal because being close to him would make it easier to prevent the Empress’s death.
“As for my request, I’ll tell you another time.”
“Suit yourself.”
.
.
.
After visiting Elder Ghost-faced Constable, I returned to the Eunhae Merchant Group. Once I had eaten a simple lunch, I set out for the Changin Escort Bureau with only Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Jin Yu accompanying me.
“Welcome.”
The Chief of the Changin Escort Bureau came out to greet me.
“Escort Chief Jang Jin, whom you sent us this time, was an enormous help.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“Here is the commission for Escort Chief Jang Jin and the others escorting us all the way to Sichuan.”
I pulled an envelope containing a bank draft from inside my clothes and placed it on the table.
He accepted it, checked the amount written on the draft, and stared in shock.
“What?! Are you certain you can pay us this much?”
“I promised to compensate you generously. Besides, the unexpected journey all the way to Sichuan and back must have disrupted the bureau’s schedule, didn’t it? I included compensation for that as well.”
“That is true, but… Hahaha. If the Changin Escort Bureau has ever made one truly wise decision, it was choosing to do business with the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“I appreciate you thinking so highly of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
Our pleasant conversation continued for a while before I took out a red envelope and handed it to him.
He blinked as he accepted it.
“This is… a wedding invitation, isn’t it?”
“I’m getting married. We’ve set the date for this fall.”
“Well, congratulations!”
“Thank you.”
I respectfully cupped my hands and accepted his congratulations.
“Where is my Master? I heard he returned from an escort mission this morning. Knowing his personality, I’m sure he came straight to the bureau.”
“You know him well.”
The Chief gave me a warm smile.
“Try the training yard over there.”
“Thank you.”
I rose from my seat and headed for the training yard.
Many people were practicing martial arts in the Changin Escort Bureau’s training yard, their swords cutting through the air again and again.
My Master stood motionless in one corner of the yard, sword in hand.
Directly before him stood a straw training dummy.
I had no idea what he was doing, but something told me that I shouldn’t interrupt, so I stopped the person who was about to call out to him.
Then I quietly watched my Master.
Truthfully, I was also curious about how he normally trained.
How much time passed like that?
My Master moved.
No, that wasn’t right.
My Master was still standing perfectly still…
Shhk. Thud!
The training dummy’s head had been severed and slid cleanly to the ground.
Without even realizing it, I raised a hand to my own neck.
The sight had reminded me of my fight against Lone Serpent Sword at the safe house where Blood-Eyed Sword Demon had been hiding.
The only reason I survived that day was because Lone Serpent Sword had underestimated me and never fought with his full strength.
If he had gone all out…
I bit my lip.
“You don’t look well. Did something happen?”
“Master.”
At some point, my Master had already come to stand before me.
“Well…”
I couldn’t help hesitating.
But I couldn’t withstand the steady gaze he fixed on me. With a sigh, I finally spoke.
“The truth is, I nearly died during my trip to Sichuan.”
“…”
My Master silently studied me for a moment before speaking.
“Come with me.”
The place he took me to was a nearby river.
My Master walked to the riverbank, picked up a stone, and lightly flicked it across the water.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
Skipping stones.
Or rather… Water Blossoms.
“Hmm. Only four skips. Would you like to try as well, Deputy Merchant Lord?”
“Sure.”
I picked up a stone and threw it toward the river.
Tap! Tap!
“Only two. I thought you would manage at least three.”
For some reason, those words immediately stirred my competitive spirit.
“I can get three.”
And so my Master and I spent quite a while skipping stones. By the time my arm was beginning to ache, he finally asked me a question.
“Has your mind settled down a little?”
“Pardon?”
“Whenever something troubled me as a child, my father would take me to a snow-covered field. We would pack snow into balls and compete to see who could throw them farther. It was his way of comforting me.”
Just as his father had once done for him, my Master had brought me here to skip stones because he wanted to comfort me.
And whether because his method had worked or not, the turmoil in my heart had already settled, becoming as calm as the river flowing before us.
“You said you nearly died, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Now that you’ve calmed down, could you tell me what happened?”
“Of course. I’ll explain everything.”
I gave my Master a detailed account of what had happened, and once he had heard the entire story, he spoke.
“Lone Serpent Sword… Yes, that bastard is quite infamous.”
“You know him, Master?”
“I’ve encountered him before.”
“You have?”
“We crossed swords once. He decided it wasn’t entertaining enough and ran away. The bastard lives purely for amusement, but apparently dying himself doesn’t strike him as particularly entertaining.”
I nodded.
“Then I suppose that means I need to become stronger.”
At my words, my Master quietly studied me for a moment.
“Deputy Merchant Lord, you have not even spent ten full years properly learning martial arts, yet you have already reached the Profound Realm. Frankly, that is an astonishing achievement.”
Now that I thought about it…
He had a point.
“You are already progressing quickly enough. If you become too impatient, you may end up ruining what you have built instead.”
“But I have no idea when I might encounter that man again. That is what makes me uneasy.”
“Do you still have the pill I gave you as a gift?”
Come to think of it, when I first became Deputy Merchant Lord, my Master had given me a pill as a gift.
He had said that it would protect my meridians from extreme cold.
“Yes. I still have it.”
“If another moment like that comes, swallow the pill. And you still remember the method I taught you for escaping a life-threatening situation, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
He had taught me a method derived from One-Point Black Ice. If used properly, it could block an enemy’s attacks up to three times.
“Use it well, and an opening will eventually reveal itself.”
That made sense.
The dangerous part of the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art was forcing too much Internal Power through my body.
Excessive yin Qi would freeze my meridians.
But if my Master was right, then even if my meridians froze, the pill would preserve my Internal Power while keeping me alive.
Wait a second.
This pill was actually unbelievably precious, wasn’t it?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Thank you for the advice.”
* * *
Night had fallen, and darkness blanketed the streets.
At the Seo residence, which Eun Seo-ho had visited that morning, several figures wearing bamboo hats appeared.
Perhaps because of the presence they gave off, or perhaps because some instinct warned them away, even the Seo family’s street toughs kept their distance rather than approaching them.
The group eventually arrived at Elder Ghost-faced Constable’s pawnshop, where one among them cupped his hands in greeting.
“Elder. It’s Ok.”
Perhaps recognizing the voice, the door opened and Elder Ghost-faced Constable stepped outside.
“Come in.”
“Yes.”
The man who had introduced himself as Ok entered the pawnshop, removed his bamboo hat, and sat down at the table.
He was the Crown Prince.
Despite Elder Ghost-faced Constable showing him none of the formal courtesy due his station, not a single person present objected.
After all, the elder had been granted the privilege of showing deference to no member of the imperial family except the Emperor himself.
His true name was Hwangbo Hwi.
He was a member of the Hwangbo Clan who had entered military service at a young age.
Then he met the current Emperor, and that meeting changed Hwangbo Hwi’s entire life.
‘Imperial Father’s life changed because of him as well.’
Back then, his Imperial Father had merely been an Imperial Prince whose princely estate lay in a distant border region when a secret order from the previous Emperor reached him.
The man who risked his life to deliver that order was the same old man sitting before him now.
And the man who had risked his life to escort his Imperial Father all the way to Beijing had also been this very old man.
Now, he was Imperial Father’s one and only true friend.
For a brief moment, the Crown Prince found himself envying his Imperial Father for having a friend like that.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes, Elder.”
“I can only thank you for going out of your way to visit this old man yet again.”
“Please don’t say that. You are a benefactor of the imperial family. This much is only natural.”
“Your Highness will become a wise ruler.”
At those words, the Crown Prince frantically waved his hands.
“Elder! Please take back those words! Imperial Father is still in excellent health. How could I possibly entertain such a disloyal thought…?”
“You can put away that pointless display of loyalty while you’re here.”
“…”
“His Majesty sending Your Highness to Nanjing means he has already made up his mind.”
The elder continued in a gentle voice.
“Are you afraid of ascending the throne?”
At the question, the Crown Prince nodded.
“Yes. I am afraid. I do not possess Imperial Father’s abilities. I cannot even compare to the smallest fraction of what he is capable of… I have no idea how I could possibly govern the Empire.”
“And it is also a lonely position. Even when you know you are lacking, you cannot admit that you are lacking. You cannot freely trust another person or ask anyone for help.”
Elder Ghost-faced Constable continued with a grave expression.
“His Majesty understands that. That is why he has placed Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho close to Your Highness.”
“What? Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho?”
“Indeed. What do you think of him, Your Highness?”
The Crown Prince considered the question for a moment before answering.
“…He is a man who never takes a loss.”
“Exactly. He is a man who never takes a loss. That is why I asked him to become Your Highness’s adviser.”
“What?”
Elder Ghost-faced Constable smiled at the startled Crown Prince.
“If you ever need someone with whom to discuss something, seek him out. And listen carefully to what he has to say. If you do, then at the very least, you will never come out worse for it.”
Hearing that, the Crown Prince could only let out a dry laugh inwardly.
‘Elder… truth be told, Imperial Father told me the exact same thing.’
–TL Notes–
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