The Sage Physician took a sip of his drink and grinned.
“You asked me to make incense for you before. And you told me to make sure I attend this banquet before leaving, even if I had to go after. There’s gotta be a reason for all that, right?”
As expected, sharp as ever.
“If you’re only realizing that now, I’m a little disappointed.”
“Hmph. I knew from the start, you rascal.”
I glanced around at the others, then politely cupped my fists to the Sage Physician.
“I’ll speak with you again shortly.”
Then I walked off toward the other guests.
I tapped the pouch in my sleeve and muttered.
“If you’re not even interested in food, you really aren’t an ordinary pig, huh?”
“Kui!”
“Yeah yeah, you’re that special spiritual beast that loves money more than anything, right?”
“Kukui!”
I chuckled. Then I glanced back at the three escort guards following me.
Given the importance of today, all three were assigned to protect me together.
“Escort Guard Lee Pil. Escort Guard Jin Yu.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve got a little favor to ask.”
They tilted their heads for a moment but quickly nodded. They each took a pouch from me and headed off somewhere.
Meanwhile, I went around greeting the banquet guests and showing my face.
That’s when a fragrant scent drifted into my nose, easing the irritation that had been bothering me for a while.
Ever since reaching Peak, just as Master had told me, I could sense the repulsive aura slightly less intensely.
Still, disgusting is disgusting.
But… this Qi mixed in with the Mountain Air Poison… why does it feel familiar?
This incense was proof that my escort guards were carrying out my instructions properly.
I’d told them to place the incense burners in several spots.
The incense was made by the Sage Physician. It was one of the safeguards to make sure today’s banquet proceeded without incident.
In my previous life, during Jin-ho’s Deputy Merchant Lord inauguration, someone used Mountain Air Poison to kill a martial artist attending the banquet.
Mountain Air Poison disables Qi circulation.
Then, a group of assassins ambushed the martial artist.
The other martial artists couldn’t stop it in time, and the banquet descended into chaos.
If you’re gonna make a scene, at least pick somewhere quiet. Why cause harm to innocent people at a place like this?
Especially at Jin-ho’s inauguration banquet.
No way I’d ever allow that.
Couldn’t I have just stopped the person from attending in the first place?
No. That wasn’t possible.
Because the target was the Clan Lord of the Yoon Clan of Sungtae (崇泰), the largest martial household in Sunyang County.
It was perfectly natural for him to attend the Eunhae Merchant Group’s banquet.
If he didn’t show up, it’d spark rumors that relations between us were strained.
In my previous life, the Yoon Clan’s Clan Lord was killed by assassins at this very banquet.
It was part of the Unorthodox Sect’s plot to seize power in Sunyang County.
It meant the real power struggle had begun… and our merchant group suffered collateral damage.
Worse, because it happened at a banquet hosted by the Eunhae Merchant Group…
That’s why today… the Yoon Clan’s Clan Lord must survive.
The best solution would be to stop the assassins before they made their move, but that wasn’t possible.
Because I never figured out who the killer was back then.
So the only solution… was to render the Mountain Air Poison useless by spreading incense throughout the area.
.
.
.
As the banquet continued, the atmosphere grew livelier.
At the martial artists’ gathering, External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong sat among many invited martial artists.
He’d invited them mainly for Eun Jin-ho, who loved talking about martial arts more than merchant affairs.
And there were some whose presence was only natural.
Among them… was Yoon Il, the Clan Lord of the Sungtae Yoon Clan.
“Congratulations on becoming Deputy Merchant Lord!”
“Thank you.”
“I’ve known you since you were a boy… and now you’ve grown into such a fine man!”
“I’ve heard your martial arts are impressive too.”
“No wonder Swordmaster One Sword Sweeps the Sky boasts about you!”
“Hahaha. My disciple turned out quite well indeed.”
“But that spear you’ve got on your back… looks far from ordinary.”
Jin-ho grinned proudly.
“My younger brother gifted it to me. And anyone training in martial arts… should never be without their weapon.”
“Indeed!”
“So… is there someone you’re engaged to? If not…”
“Hey now! Who are you trying to steal away?”
“I’m just making a reservation in advance!”
“Hahaha!”
The banquet was full of laughter.
But watching them, one person smiled with a twisted grin.
‘Go ahead. Laugh it up. This’ll be the last banquet you ever enjoy.’
He was a disciple of the Black Bear Gate, one of the Unorthodox Sect branches operating in Sunyang County.
The Yoon Clan was a major obstacle to the Black Bear Gate’s ambitions for dominance over Sunyang County.
Normally, the Clan Lord was too cautious and well-protected to eliminate.
But today… an opportunity had presented itself.
A banquet hosted by the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Just like the previous banquet, they’d undoubtedly let their guard down.
That’s why he’d secured a very special tool.
Mountain Air Poison.
‘No idea how the Sect Leader managed to get his hands on this…’
Mountain Air Poison prevents anyone from circulating their Qi. Acquiring it was extremely difficult.
If caught, one could be branded a public enemy of the martial world.
Just in case, they’d also hired assassins.
Mountain Air Poison and assassins.
With this combination, it wouldn’t matter how skilled the Yoon Clan’s Clan Lord was or how strong the people around him were. Success was guaranteed.
A martial artist who can’t use Qi… is just half a martial artist.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
The drums rang out.
It was the signal for the Hour of the Sheep (1 to 3 PM).
And the signal to begin the mission.
“Kill him!”
At that moment, assassins hidden throughout the venue sprang into action.
Their target was Yoon Il, the Clan Lord of the Yoon Clan.
The assassins had already taken the antidote for Mountain Air Poison, so they could use their Qi freely.
But the others… wouldn’t be able to circulate theirs.
Knowing this, the assassins moved without hesitation.
But then…
Clang—!
Chachang—!
Shrrk—!
Something happened that they never anticipated.
Those who were supposedly unable to use Qi began unleashing it without any problem, blocking the assassins’ attacks.
Even worse, before the assassins could even get close to Yoon Il, many of them were already subdued.
Somehow… the Eunpoong Division’s escort guards were stationed right near the assassins’ positions.
When Go Il-pyeong, Yoon Il, and the others stepped forward, the ambush was dealt with more easily than expected.
The Black Bear Gate disciple was flustered.
“Th-This… This can’t be…”
Failure.
He had to retreat immediately.
He needed to report this to the Black Bear Gate and prepare countermeasures.
But even so, he couldn’t just leave like this.
In the chaos, he figured his weapon could still serve its purpose.
He pulled a tube from his robe.
It was a blowgun for firing poison needles.
Fwoosh—!
He fired it straight at Yoon Il.
“Clan Lord Yoon!”
Those nearby shouted warnings, but with his back turned, Yoon Il couldn’t react in time.
“Gah!”
It seemed like he was about to be hit.
But—
Whoosh—!
Eun Jin-ho lunged forward, swinging his spear.
He’d spotted the poison needle in flight.
It was the perfect display of the wide field of vision Seo-ho always said he had.
And the Azure Dragon Dance responded exactly as he intended.
Thunk—!
The poison needle was deflected by the spear and fell to the ground.
Seeing his attack fail, the Black Bear Gate disciple immediately turned to flee.
But someone blocked his path.
“So… it’s you. The one behind this mess.”
A cold smile spread across his handsome face.
.
.
.
I stared at the man in front of me.
That disgusting Qi mixed into the Mountain Air Poison… was radiating from him.
Which meant… he was the one who’d used the poison.
And something else caught my senses.
“Escort Guard Jin Yu. Escort Guard Lee Pil. Search this man.”
At my words, they quickly subdued him and began searching his body.
No matter how thoroughly they checked, nothing suspicious turned up. The man shouted confidently,
“Why are you grabbing an innocent man? I’ll be filing an official complaint to the Merchant Lord…”
“Found it.”
Jin Yu’s voice cut him off.
In his hand were a blowgun and an empty poison pouch.
The man’s mouth dropped open, and he collapsed to the ground.
“H-How… How did you…”
“There’s only so many places to hide something like this. And this… This is how assassins usually hide their tools.”
As expected. A former assassin.
Jin Yu was worth his weight in gold today.
An assassin recognizes another assassin. He’d pointed out which guests were assassins in disguise.
Thanks to that, we were able to position guards beforehand and minimize the damage.
.
.
.
The banquet resumed, and people soon began enjoying themselves again, using the earlier incident as nothing more than gossip over drinks.
Jeong-ho was busy handling the aftermath in Father’s place.
There were no fatalities, and they even caught the one who’d tried to kill Clan Lord Yoon Il. So Jeong-ho actually seemed in a good mood while managing things.
Thanks to the warning I’d given him in advance, he was able to handle it all without much trouble.
I could hear people praising Jeong-ho’s competence all around.
And I also heard plenty of chatter about Jin-ho’s impressive actions.
I turned to look at Jin-ho.
Clan Lord Yoon Il was repeatedly thanking him. After all, Jin-ho had saved his life.
Honestly… I hadn’t expected anyone to fire a poison needle.
Yet Jin-ho had thrown himself into its path and deflected it.
It was thanks to Jin-ho’s wide field of vision and good judgment… and the Azure Dragon Dance I’d given him.
Good thing I gave him that spear yesterday.
.
.
.
I made my way toward the Sage Physician.
He was busy treating the few who’d been injured during the incident.
“Master, are you finished treating them?”
“This is the last patient.”
“I see.”
Once he finished, the Sage Physician stood up and turned to me.
“You’ve got something to say.”
I scratched my head with a sheepish smile.
“Let’s head to my residence.”
“Alright.”
We sat down on the bench in my courtyard.
The weather was nice.
Lively music and singing drifted over from the banquet.
“First… thank you for your help. Honestly, my senses are a bit sensitive when it comes to Qi.”
“I know.”
“You… You already knew?”
“Your constitution makes it obvious. And your internal Qi confirms it.”
“Well, that makes this easier.”
I continued.
“Today… I sensed the same Qi I felt back at the Thorn Gate Sect.”
“Back then, you said the plague spreading there wasn’t natural. You said someone crafted it intentionally, and that it was the work of someone from the Tang Clan of Sichuan.”
“So what you’re saying… is that the Mountain Air Poison used today is also from the Tang Clan?”
“…Yes.”
“Your guess is correct.”
“Then…”
The Sage Physician sighed.
“This Mountain Air Poison… is definitely their work.”
I knew it.
In my previous life, the Tang Clan of Sichuan became one of the strongest supporters of the Murim Alliance.
They claimed it was because they saved Tang Jo-ung, the youngest son of the Clan Lord.
But even then, it always felt excessive.
Given what I knew about the Tang Clan… there had to be another reason.
When I went to Sichuan and saved Tang Jo-ung, that alone should have been enough for them to not be tied to the Murim Alliance.
Which meant… the Murim Alliance must’ve used other methods to secure their loyalty.
If the Tang Clan sides with the Murim Alliance… it’ll become a major headache for me.
They are nothing if not a troublesome bunch.
It looks like… I’ll have to go to Sichuan again.
I turned to the Sage Physician.
“Master… would you be willing to come with me to the Tang Clan?”
“That… won’t be possible.”
“What?”
His answer caught me completely off guard.
The Tang Clan isn’t a place just anyone can enter.
If I had the chance to go, I figured someone like him would drop everything and come.
Why… won’t he?
“Did I offend you somehow?”
“No. Both you and this merchant group have treated me very well. I simply… don’t want to go. Don’t take it personally.”
“…”
He made it that clear. I couldn’t push any further.
If he’d given me a reason, I might’ve tried persuading him. But he refused to explain at all.
.
.
.
A few days after Jin-ho’s Deputy Merchant Lord inauguration…
The Sage Physician left the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Not a word of warning. Only a letter.
[I’m leaving, you rascal. Stay alive until we meet again.]
A letter… completely in character for him.
But for some reason… I had the feeling I’d be seeing the Sage Physician again very soon.
–TL Notes–
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