Escort Guard Lee Pil continued speaking.
“But back then, my father left without knowing. Later, my mother brought me to the Tang Clan.”
Somehow, Escort Guard Lee Pil must’ve been accepted into the Tang Clan.
“I was grateful they made sure I didn’t starve, but… honestly, I was always hungry even after coming to the Tang Clan.”
What’s that supposed to mean?
Hungry in a place this wealthy?
Was it metaphorical?
“My mother passed away soon after. She was already terminally ill when she brought me here.”
He gave a bitter smile.
“But the Tang Clan wasn’t a kind place to me. I was always treated like an outcast. Worse yet, my talent with hidden weapons was exceptional… and that became the problem. My brothers’ bullying intensified, and eventually… I left behind a letter renouncing the Tang name and ran away when I was eighteen.”
“So… how did you survive after that?”
“I wandered as a vagabond until I saw a recruitment notice from the Eunhae Merchant Group looking for escort guards. I applied… and now, I serve as your escort.”
He spoke calmly… but was it really something one could speak about so calmly?
No. Speaking of it without anger meant he’d already gone beyond the limits of anger.
It meant… resignation.
I sincerely offered him comfort.
“You’ve suffered a lot.”
“But… I’m happy now.”
“Still… if you ran away at eighteen and yet you handle hidden weapons that well, you must’ve had incredible talent.”
At Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am’s comment, the other two escort guards nodded in agreement.
I’d sensed something uneasy in Tang Jun-ryeong’s eyes earlier.
Now I understood what it was.
He was afraid… afraid his position would be taken.
Because Lee Pil was far more talented than him.
And the Tang Clan was a clan where only skill mattered.
Is that why they bullied him?
How pathetic.
“Life’s strange. Who would’ve thought… I’d become the benefactor of the Tang Clan… and even get to eat my fill at that Golden Pavilion banquet. Hahaha.”
His laughter… felt like it was soaked with tears.
But… there was one critical question left.
As I debated whether to ask it or not… Escort Guard Jin Yu spoke.
“By the way, Escort Guard Lee Pil…”
“Yes?”
“Who’s your father?”
There it was.
That question.
“Escort Guard Jin Yu… that question…”
I tried to stop him.
But Escort Guard Lee Pil opened his mouth without resistance.
“My father… is the younger brother of the previous Clan Lord. The current Clan Lord’s uncle.”
He continued.
“Fortunately… he’s not here right now. He’s stationed at the Murim Alliance.”
What?
The Murim Alliance?
For someone like me, who knew what the Murim Alliance truly was… that wasn’t something I could just brush aside.
.
.
.
Tang Gyu-jeong returned to his office after the banquet.
It had been a long time since he enjoyed a banquet like that.
‘Eun Seo-ho… what a talent.’
The Tang Clan was known for its obsession with talented people.
Tang Gyu-jeong was no different.
A man like Eun Seo-ho… was someone he greatly coveted.
When he learned that Eun Seo-ho was the one who saved his youngest son, he secretly mobilized the clan’s intelligence network to investigate him.
And he learned about Eun Seo-ho’s history.
Just three years ago, the Eunhae Merchant Group was merely within the top ten in Hubei Province.
But after Eun Seo-ho began getting involved in earnest… the merchant group grew rapidly.
Now, it was firmly in the top three in Hubei.
Rumor had it that during this year’s winter solstice, when the royal family announces the rankings of merchant groups, the Eunhae Merchant Group was guaranteed to rank within the top fifty.
It was clear that this growth… was thanks to Eun Seo-ho’s abilities.
‘And he’s got both daring and wisdom…’
Otherwise… no matter how lavish the banquet, someone wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the food so easily.
That was inevitable.
Because the name “Tang Clan” alone was enough to strike fear into anyone.
Overcoming that fear and acting friendly wasn’t something people could do.
After all… poison wasn’t exactly something that evoked friendliness.
That’s why the Tang Clan had become a place others feared.
Even when invited to banquets, guests came reluctantly… and ate reluctantly.
But Eun Seo-ho… enjoyed his food without a care.
Tang Gyu-jeong appreciated that greatly.
‘And he’s only eighteen…’
Even the things he said… left a deep impression on Tang Gyu-jeong.
‘Maybe… I should propose a marriage alliance?’
The thought of bringing him in as a son-in-law grew stronger and stronger.
As Tang Gyu-jeong thought about Eun Seo-ho… another person came to mind.
‘That kid…’
The one Eun Seo-ho called Escort Guard Lee Pil.
His real name… Tang Lee Pil.
The son of the Clan Lord’s youngest uncle, born outside the clan.
Tang Gyu-jeong had watched him grow since he was young.
And he knew.
Lee Pil… was always alone.
His talent with hidden weapons was extraordinary.
And seeing that… Tang Gyu-jeong couldn’t help but think, ‘Blood doesn’t lie.’
Because his youngest uncle also possessed exceptional talent in hidden weapons.
That uncle… was currently serving as an instructor for the Murim Alliance, teaching hidden weapons at their request.
“Hm…”
A sigh escaped his lips.
The memory of Lee Pil being bullied surfaced in his mind.
Of course… whenever he witnessed it, he tried to stop it.
But the problem was… the ones bullying Lee Pil were mostly his half-brothers.
That must’ve made it even harder for him.
In the end… Lee Pil left home at eighteen.
In the letter he left behind, he renounced the Tang family name.
He wrote… that he wanted nothing, needed nothing, and begged them never to look for him.
Some urged him to immediately organize a search party.
Saying it was disgraceful to the Tang Clan’s reputation and that they had to retrieve him at once.
But… someone opposed it.
Shockingly… it was Lee Pil’s own father.
“Clan Lord… please let him go.”
“Why… Uncle?”
“That boy… suffered too much because of his useless father. He’ll be far happier outside this clan.”
“But the world is dangerous.”
“He’s not so weak that he can’t survive that danger. And frankly… the dangers inside the clan are far worse for him.”
“…”
“Thankfully… he never learned the clan’s core martial arts or techniques. He only studied the basic techniques taught to the outer branches. So… please respect his wishes and don’t send anyone after him.”
Moved by that earnest plea… Tang Gyu-jeong handled it as requested.
And now… he’d come face-to-face with that boy again, who was now Eun Seo-ho’s escort.
On top of that… he even saved his own son.
At first, he was quite shocked and even considered greeting him.
But doing so would’ve meant going against the order he himself had given.
So, what he chose… was to treat him as a “stranger.”
Those who understood his intent also refrained from speaking to Lee Pil.
Once they began treating him not as a member of the Tang Clan, but as an “outsider,” Lee Pil’s expression slowly began to relax.
And back at the banquet… he too had thoroughly enjoyed the food.
When he’d lived within the Tang Clan, Lee Pil had always picked at his meals.
Seeing him eat so well now… felt both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
“Clan Lord, I’m coming in.”
Just then, the door opened and his deputy walked in.
“Did you escort Young Hero Eun Seo-ho and his party to the annex safely?”
“Yes.”
But the deputy hesitated.
“Seems like you’ve got something else to say.”
“Well… Squad Leader Tang Jun-ryeong went to the annex.”
“The annex? To meet Young Hero Eun?”
“No, sir. He… met with Tang Lee Pil. I mean… Escort Guard Lee Pil.”
At that, Tang Gyu-jeong let out a sigh.
“What a pointless thing to do…”
.
.
.
The next morning.
I headed to the annex’s dining hall with Palgap.
“Welcome.”
“Good morning.”
The escort guards were already there.
Originally, they should’ve accompanied me into the dining hall as part of their escort duties… but I’d made it clear that wasn’t necessary while we were here.
I’d eaten so much yesterday that I skipped dinner.
Maybe that’s why I was unusually hungry this morning.
It’s strange how eating well one day just makes you hungrier the next.
Soon, the maids assigned to the annex started bringing out food.
Soup, various side dishes… and a bowl of white rice.
Right. In the Tang Clan, they always eat white rice for breakfast.
“Let’s eat.”
With that, I picked up my chopsticks. The others followed suit.
But then… I noticed Escort Guard Lee Pil poking around his rice.
Come to think of it…
Now that I think back… whenever Lee Pil ate, he always stirred through his food first.
At the time… I thought it was just a habit.
But habits like that don’t form for no reason.
It was like he was checking for something hidden in his food.
But it wasn’t the kind of cautiousness a warrior develops to detect poison.
In inns run by thieves disguised as innkeepers, they usually checked for poison with special tools or by watching for insects.
But digging through the food like this… that meant something other than poison had once been placed in his food.
Wait.
Something other than poison?
I recalled what Escort Guard Lee Pil had said yesterday.
“I was grateful they made sure I didn’t starve… but honestly, I was always hungry even after coming to the Tang Clan.”
That wasn’t a metaphor.
He was literally… hungry.
Because there’d been something… in his food.
Sand… shards of porcelain… insects.
That’s how he developed that habit.
Then… who would’ve done something so cruel?
The act itself would’ve been carried out by the maids who served the meals.
But… was that truly their own decision?
Even if he wasn’t a legitimate son… would a servant really dare to tamper with a Tang Clan member’s food?
No way.
The answer was simple.
It was the doing of the other blood relatives in the Tang Clan.
Especially his half-brothers… or the women who birthed them.
Ha… This is insane.
Honestly… I couldn’t personally relate to Escort Guard Lee Pil’s pain.
Both my older brothers are incredibly kind… and they’d walk through fire for me.
Pretending I could relate to something I’ve never experienced… would be a lie.
But the more I thought about it… the more my insides boiled.
And my head… grew ice-cold.
This was just a theory for now.
But… if it turned out to be true… there’s no way I was letting it slide.
I’d make sure… they paid for it.
Some might say… it was just a childish prank. Why take it so far?
But because of that childish prank… Escort Guard Lee Pil suffered wounds that never healed.
And this isn’t just anyone… he’s my escort guard.
I came to the Tang Clan… to cut off the Murim Alliance’s spies and informants lurking within.
But now… I had one more job to do.
“Young Master, what’s wrong?”
Palgap tilted his head at me.
“Huh?”
“You suddenly made such a scary face… I thought you were chewing on rocks or something.”
“Oh… It’s nothing. Just had something on my mind.”
After finishing breakfast… and enjoying some snacks and tea for dessert… the deputy of the Tang Clan’s Clan Lord arrived at the annex.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, it was a very comfortable night.”
But standing behind the deputy… was a young lady.
The moment I saw her, with the confidence and dignity unique to the Tang Clan… I knew exactly who she was.
The deputy introduced her.
“Allow me to introduce you. This is the Clan Lord’s fifth daughter.”
She gave a polite bow with clasped fists.
“My name is Tang Su-bin (唐水彬).”
“I’m Eun Seo-ho.”
In my past life… this young lady would later be known as the Scarlet Jade of the Tang Clan.
She was the Clan Lord’s most beloved daughter… and the pride of the Tang Clan.
Her specialties were Venom Manipulation and Stealth Poison Techniques.
She was so talented in the art of poison that… one couldn’t even tell when she’d poisoned someone.
But… as bright as her light once shone… it was extinguished far too quickly.
She was dispatched to the Murim Alliance… and died during a mission.
It was… a tragic loss for the Tang Clan.
But that… was a story for the future.
The question now… was why this famous figure had shown up here.
The deputy continued.
“Today, Lady Su-bin will serve as your guide for the tour of the Tang Clan.”
I was… a little surprised.
I’d expected they’d assign someone as a guide.
But never did I expect that person to be Lady Tang Su-bin herself.
Still… I made sure not to show my surprise on my face.
“I look forward to your guidance, Lady Su-bin.”
“I’d heard you were handsome… but seeing you in person? You’re stunning. My eyes feel refreshed just looking at you.”
The deputy wore an awkward expression.
“Lady… please mind your words…”
Ah…
Now that I think about it… Lady Tang Su-bin was infamous for being… very upfront about her love for handsome faces.
–TL Notes–
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