I returned to my residence.
“Are you alright?”
“Hm?”
“You seem to be troubled.”
At Palgap’s words, I tilted my head.
I wasn’t someone who let my emotions show that easily.
Perhaps noticing my doubt, Palgap explained further.
“Your left eyebrow is drooping just about as much as an ant’s hind leg.”
You noticed that? You’re more observant than I thought.
Still, I couldn’t speak my real concerns aloud, so I came up with a suitable excuse.
“I’m accompanying Father to the Hundred Merchant Conference this time, so of course I’m nervous.”
“You’re going to the conference this time?”
“Yeah. Since it’s where the Merchant Lords of the Hundred Merchant Groups from across the land gather, it’s only natural to feel some pressure.”
“I don’t think you need to worry at all. Why would someone as outstanding as you be nervous?”
Seo Wu, who had come into the room with us, chimed in as well.
“I agree with Palgap. Honestly, the things you’ve accomplished so far would be impossible for ordinary people. So I’m sure you’ll perform excellently at the conference as well.”
.
.
.
Time passed quickly.
Though Palgap and the escort guards around me tried to encourage me, the worries in my heart didn’t fade easily.
It wasn’t the conference itself I was worried about, but the people from the Murim Alliance I’d meet there—and the Merchant Lord of the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
But I couldn’t speak of this to anyone.
So I kept suffering in silence.
It had already been nearly four years since I returned to the past, but I could still vividly picture Namgoong Gang, the Merchant Lord of the Baekcheon Merchant Group, who’d behead me.
Not just Jin-ho’s severed head, but the wretched sight of the escort guards and Palgap who followed me, dying miserably.
That’s why I wasn’t confident I could keep a straight face when I met Merchant Lord Namgoong Gang.
I might even release killing intent without meaning to.
You think I’m overreacting?
In my past life, I lost my mind when I saw Jin-ho’s severed head.
No matter how angry I got, I’d never lost my reason before.
I think I’ve become more composed than I was back then, but still—because that happened—I can’t be sure of myself.
If I end up harming our merchant group, everything I’ve worked so hard to prepare would be for nothing.
This won’t do.
No matter how much I think about it, there’s only one answer.
I’m not ready to face the Merchant Lord of the Baekcheon Merchant Group in front of the Murim Alliance yet.
I’ll have to ask Father to take Jin-ho with him instead.
Just then, Palgap spoke behind me.
“Isn’t that the old man from the general store?”
“Hm?”
Behind the Eunhae Merchant Group was a path perfect for taking a walk.
Now that autumn had fully arrived, the weather had cooled, and it was quite pleasant for a stroll.
Right now, I was walking to clear my confused thoughts.
At Palgap’s voice, I came to my senses and looked ahead.
The old man from the general store, the Ghost-faced Constable, was walking toward me.
I quickly cupped my hands and bowed to him.
“I greet you, Elder.”
“Ah, what brings you here? I thought you were too busy to breathe.”
“Well, I try to change the mood every now and then… but what about you, Elder? What brings you here?”
“They say rock honey is good for your health, so I was out gathering some.”
Now that he mentioned it, the old man was holding a box in his hands. It was packed with thick-looking rock honey.
With honey that rich, a lot of bees must’ve swarmed him…
What am I worrying about?
The old man was once renowned as the Ghost-faced Constable. He’s at least a Profound-level master.
“But even with a stroll, it doesn’t look like your mood’s lifted.”
The old man continued.
“When you’re trying to change your mood, something sweet is best. Come along. I’ll brew some honey water with this rock honey.”
“Are you charging?”
At my question, the old man gave a wry smile.
“I won’t charge you this time, so just come along, you rascal.”
.
.
.
A little later,
I arrived at the old man’s general store.
The old man scooped some freshly gathered rock honey and brewed honey tea for me.
He also gave a cup to Palgap and the escort guards who’d followed me.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am looked moved by the tea he’d received from such a senior figure in the Murim world.
I lifted my teacup and took a sip.
Ugh, so sweet…
There was so much honey in it that it didn’t taste like tea—it felt like I was just drinking straight honey.
Still, it did make me feel better almost instantly.
Maybe that’s why…
I casually tossed out a question to the old man.
“Elder, what would you do if you had to meet your mortal enemy at their own house?”
“Hm? Why do you ask?”
“I was just curious what you’d do in such a situation. You don’t need to answer if you don’t want to.”
“You ask a question but say no answer’s needed? Are you playing with me?”
“N-no, I just…”
“You’re asking whether to avoid the meeting or go through with it, right?”
“…”
“If it were me, I’d go and meet them.”
“Sorry?”
“Having a mortal enemy means you hold a strong hatred toward them. But if you can’t even control yourself enough to hide that hatred, then I say they’re not truly your mortal enemy.”
“…Sorry?”
“It just means your hatred is shallow.”
“…”
“The term ‘mortal enemy’ implies revenge, doesn’t it? There’s a saying: ‘A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years.’ That means to achieve perfect revenge, you must endure and endure again.”
The old man paused for a moment, then continued.
“Does that answer your question?”
“Yes. So you’re saying I should endure it.”
“That too, but in my case… meeting someone like that is actually exciting.”
“Huh?”
You get excited about meeting your mortal enemy? I tilted my head, confused.
The old man grinned at me.
“I’ve never had a good temperament. Just imagining what face that person would make after their grand plan crumbles… it thrills me. Heheheh.”
At those words, something struck me.
Now that I thought about it, there’s something I could get in Luoyang around this time.
Or rather—things I could get.
One of them was something the Baekcheon Merchant Group had thrown away.
They thought it was useless and discarded it, but it turned out to be a treasure.
If they realized later what a priceless treasure they’d tossed, wouldn’t that just make their stomachs churn with regret?
So that’s what the old man meant by being thrilled.
He said it was because of his bad temper, but… honestly, I don’t have a good one either.
Just thinking about the things I could gain in Luoyang was starting to thrill me, too.
The fact that I had to face the Merchant Lord of the Baekcheon Merchant Group—the very man who killed me—on the front lawn of the Murim Alliance seemed to weigh on me more than I realized.
To the point I forgot I held the powerful weapon of knowing the future.
I let out a chuckle.
The problem I’d been agonizing over just moments ago had been resolved so easily!
The Ghost-faced Constable really is confirmed as our group’s official advisor.
Thinking that, I took another sip of the honey tea.
“Ugh!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Just how much honey did you put in this?”
The old man barked.
“You’re complaining after I gave it to you? If you don’t want it, hand it over, you brat! That’s hundred-year-old rock honey…”
I quickly shielded the teacup with my hand.
“That’s dirty! You can’t just take it back after giving it!”
The old man at the general store watched the fading figure of Eun Seo-ho.
Unlike earlier, his steps looked light.
The old man glanced at Seo-ho’s teacup.
“That rascal… drank it all anyway…”
To have run into Eun Seo-ho right after gathering rock honey—it felt like the heavens were up to something.
‘A mortal enemy, huh…’
He, too, had a mortal enemy.
A man who had tried to kill his sworn brother and lord—the current Emperor.
Suddenly, the memory of striking that man on the back of the head surfaced, making him laugh.
It had been deeply satisfying.
But that was long ago.
Now, that man’s soul was wandering in the nine heavens.
The old man knew Seo-ho would soon head to Luoyang.
And he had a pretty good idea who Seo-ho’s mortal enemy was.
‘Most likely the Murim Alliance.’
In the letter the Emperor had sent him, there was speculation about the relationship between the Murim Alliance and Eun Seo-ho.
‘To be precise, it’s the Baekcheon Merchant Group, backed by the Murim Alliance, that’s his true enemy.’
There was no other real point of contact between Seo-ho and the Alliance.
The old man also knew a fair bit about the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
They were ranked among the top five of the Hundred Merchant Groups under the heavens. It was impossible not to know them.
And since he had once been a hand and foot of the Emperor, he knew something else.
That the Baekcheon Merchant Group’s goal wasn’t money.
They might act as if they were fulfilling their role as a merchant group, but they sometimes did things no ordinary merchant group would.
He let out a small chuckle.
At least it seemed his advice had helped Eun Seo-ho.
The moment Seo-ho heard his words, he smiled just like the old man used to, long ago.
Now he was looking forward to what kind of havoc Seo-ho would wreak in Luoyang this time.
‘This is why I can’t bring myself to leave this place.’
Before long, it was time to depart for Luoyang.
Since it was a gathering of the Hundred Merchant Groups, a luxurious carriage had been prepared to maintain appearances.
Father wasn’t fond of unnecessary embellishment, but there was no helping it.
I’d attended the conference in my previous life, so I knew: others would arrive even more extravagantly adorned than we would.
If you weren’t wrapped in expensive goods, rumors would spread in no time that your merchant group was struggling.
So to show that our group was still thriving, this was necessary.
I finished getting ready and headed for the carriage.
The escort guards also had to attend the conference, so they too wore clothes different from their usual attire.
“These clothes… must’ve cost quite a bit… I feel like I can’t even swing my sword in them, haha.”
At Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am’s words, Lee Pil gave a small laugh.
“Brother Yeo, I didn’t know your nerves were so fragile.”
“What are you saying? Fragile?”
“You’ll be wearing clothes like this more often from now on, so best to get used to it early.”
“But this one outfit is worth a month’s pay!”
“The status of the lord we serve depends on what we wear. Dressing even the guards in silk is a subtle way of showing off that they can afford it.”
Hearing their exchange, I let out a soft laugh.
Lee Pil was from the Tang Family. Though he’d known hunger and hardship, he’d received a refined education and always appeared cultured.
So he understood this kind of thing very well.
“Escort Guard Lee is right. So please endure the discomfort for a little while.”
“N-no, it’s not uncomfortable!”
Yeo Eung-am shook his hands.
“The silk is so soft, it actually moves well with me.”
Silk was durable and sturdy, great for defense, and these outfits had been tailored for movement, so there shouldn’t be any problem using weapons.
The only issue was psychological pressure.
From Yeo Eung-am’s still-tense expression, it looked like he hadn’t gotten over that part yet.
“Guard Yeo.”
“Y-yes!”
“Are your clothes more valuable? Or is my life?”
“They can’t be compared.”
“Exactly. There’s no comparison.”
I smiled and continued.
“If you’re too worried about the silk to swing your sword, who’s going to protect my life?”
“Ah!”
At my words, Yeo Eung-am immediately cupped his hands.
“I was short-sighted.”
“It’s alright. I understand. Honestly… I think it’s a waste too.”
I laughed as I added on.
“But there’s no helping it. This conference is a battlefield, and these clothes are our armor. So don’t let it weigh on you.”
Soon, we arrived at the carriage platform.
Not long after, Father and Mother arrived as well.
The Hundred Merchant Conference was traditionally attended by couples.
There was even a separate gathering just for the wives of the Merchant Lords.
Both Father and Mother were dressed in fine silk.
“All preparations are complete.”
Since both the Merchant Lord and his wife were on the move, a considerable escort had been arranged.
External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong had personally taken charge, and the Eunpoong Division had dispatched both First and Second Squads.
Seo Wu muttered in awe.
“External Chief Administrator One Sword Sweeps the Sky and two squads from the Eunpoong Division… At this rate, I wonder if there’ll even be anything left for us to do.”
I laughed at his words.
There’s plenty of work for my escorts to handle this time.
Since I was going to Luoyang anyway, I planned to sweep up every last opportunity I could get.
Even picking up what the Baekcheon Merchant Group had thrown away.
In other words… I was going to plunder the Murim Alliance’s front yard.
Until just recently, I’d been worried about this.
But thanks to the advice of the old man at the general store, I wasn’t anymore.
Just thinking about what I could gain in Luoyang had me absolutely thrilled.
–TL Notes–
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