Luoyang, located in Henan, was not only a key transportation hub connecting the Central Plains and Guanzhong, but also a critical military stronghold.
That was because it was surrounded by mountain ranges and rivers.
Thanks to the harvests from the vast surrounding plains, it was a land of abundance and wealth, and so, Luoyang was as glamorous as the bustling cities of Hangzhou or Suzhou.
It was also where the Murim Alliance was headquartered.
From what I could tell, the Murim Alliance had chosen to settle in Luoyang specifically to take advantage of its geographical benefits.
Right now, I was riding a carriage on the way to Luoyang.
The surrounding autumn foliage made the journey anything but boring.
Not for me, but for Palgap.
“Oh! Look at those leaves, they’re ridiculously beautiful!”
“Yeah.”
“Wow! I’ve never seen such pretty foliage before!”
“Yeah.”
The entire way, I couldn’t take my hands off my work.
Father was probably reviewing documents the same way I was.
Then, from horseback beside the carriage, Escort Guard Seo Wu spoke up.
“We’re almost at Daebyeolsan.”
Daebyeolsan was a massive mountain spanning across Anhui, Henan, and Hubei.
And there was something I could obtain there.
But now wasn’t the time, so I planned to get it on our way back, after finishing our business.
.
.
.
After traveling for about ten days, we finally arrived in Luoyang.
Lodging wasn’t provided, so we had to stay at an inn separately.
So, as soon as the final date and location of the conference were announced, the Eunhae Merchant Group had immediately sent someone ahead to reserve rooms.
The place we were staying at was called the Secret Pine Inn.
As Father stepped into the inn, he spoke.
“I remember when we first joined the Hundred Merchant Groups, I didn’t know we had to reserve an inn in advance. It put Grandfather in a tough spot.”
“Since it’s the Hundred Merchant Conference, there must’ve been a massive crowd.”
“Exactly. Fortunately, one of the other Merchant Lords heard about our situation and gave up a few rooms for us. Thanks to that, we didn’t have to sleep out on the streets.”
“That’s a very generous merchant group.”
“You’ll meet them soon. It’s the Myeongmyeong Merchant Group.”
“Ah! Isn’t that one of the Three Great Merchant Groups under the heavens?”
“That’s right.”
The Myeongmyeong Merchant Group was one of the Three Great Merchant Groups, operating throughout the Central Plains.
Their main trade items were ceramics and spices, and they’d risen to the top by monopolizing the pepper trade.
Just then, Father’s chief deputy, Deputy Yu Dae-ik, approached us.
“I’ve checked the rooms.”
“Thank you.”
A middle-aged man who’d come with Deputy Yu cupped his hands politely.
“I greet the Merchant Lord. I am Song Baek, the innkeeper of this Secret Pine Inn.”
“I’m Eun Gil-sang, Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group. Pleased to meet you.”
“Of course. Allow me to show you to your rooms.”
The Secret Pine Inn was quite large, but seeing the innkeeper personally receiving guests, it made sense how he could run such a successful establishment.
The inn had up to four floors. Our rooms were on the third floor.
The second and fourth floors were assigned to the Eunpoong Division escorts and the staff who’d accompanied us.
Some might be uncomfortable staying on a floor above their superiors, but this was for the safety of my parents and myself.
In this world, there were masters who could traverse rooftops with ease.
That made the top floor, where you could enter straight from the roof, the most dangerous.
The room assignment made perfect sense… but for me, it was a bit troublesome.
There were things I needed to sneak out and gather from Luoyang during the night.
After thinking for a moment, I came up with a solution.
“Father. I’d like my escort guards to use the room directly above mine.”
Unlike the Eunpoong Division, escort guards were meant to protect me from close range. Normally, they’d be in rooms beside mine.
“If anything happens, they’d be able to jump straight down through the window.”
“That makes sense.”
So Escort Guards Yeo Eung-am and Jin Yu were placed in the rooms beside mine, while Lee Pil and Seo Wu were placed in the room above.
And Palgap stayed with Father’s attendant, finalizing the room assignments.
A little while later, after washing up in warm water and changing clothes, we headed down to the first floor for dinner.
After a short wait, Father and Mother joined us.
Deputy Yu had already placed the food order, so dishes began arriving right away.
The meal consisted mainly of Luoyang’s local specialties—stir-fried pork dishes and soups with assorted mushrooms and shredded radish.
We ate heartily.
Even for our Hubei-born palates, the food was quite delicious. The chef must have considered our taste preferences.
That considerate touch brightened my mood.
While we sipped tea after the meal, Father spoke.
“Come to think of it, this is your first time attending the Hundred Merchant Conference. I forgot to mention one thing.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Actually, there’s an entertaining game that’s part of the conference.”
“A game?”
“Yes. Each attendee receives a round token shaped like a silver tael. You wear it at your waist and enjoy the event while keeping it with you.”
I was already familiar with this game.
In my previous life, I’d enjoyed it together with Jin-ho during the Hundred Merchant Conference.
But since this was my first time hearing of it in this life, I kept listening attentively.
“And once the conference concludes, those who still have their silver tokens get to keep them as a gift.”
“Keep the token?”
“Yes. The thing is, during the conference, the tokens somehow vanish without anyone realizing it.”
At Father’s words, Mother laughed and added,
“Your father, your older brothers, and even I—none of us ever managed to keep ours.”
“Sounds really difficult. Wait… do the merchant groups hire thieves for this?”
“Exactly.”
This little game originated from the cleverness of a Merchant Lord long ago.
The conference brings together the Merchant Lords of the Hundred Merchant Groups, along with their entourages.
With so many treasures and valuables around, it was an ideal target for thieves.
Of course, escort guards guarded everyone strictly, but to a master thief, guards didn’t matter.
When trouble kept arising from thieves, the hosting Merchant Lord came up with a bold plan.
[A token resembling a silver tael will be worn by all attendees at the conference. If you can steal it, go ahead and try.
If you steal the token, we won’t say a word.
But if you steal anything else, we’ll hunt you down and arrest you.]
It was a challenge.
And it ignited the competitive spirit of thieves who’d come aiming for big scores.
Thus, during the Hundred Merchant Conference, it became tradition for thieves to target only the silver tokens.
In my past life, I lost my silver token twice.
That stirred up a sense of stubbornness in me, and after trying various strategies, I managed to protect my token from then on.
I remembered those silver tokens turning out to be quite lucrative.
But more than that, what truly interested me was the thief who could steal those tokens with such elusive skill.
Back then, I’d only been focused on not losing mine, but now that I think about it, I’d missed a great opportunity.
It had been a perfect chance to scout the finest security expert.
They say not even ten guards can stop a single thief. That’s because those ten aren’t thieves.
Just like only a snake knows how it slithers, only a thief truly understands the ways of thievery.
That’s why this time, I plan to recruit a master thief.
“Oh? Who do we have here? Isn’t this Merchant Lord Eun of the Eunhae Merchant Group?”
At that moment, a voice called out, and I turned my head.
A middle-aged man was entering through the door, wearing quite luxurious clothing.
Apparently, Father recognized him and quickly rose from his seat to greet him.
“It’s been a long time, Merchant Lord Sa.”
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. And you, Merchant Lord?”
“I’ve been doing fine too.”
Father brought him over along with the woman beside him—likely his wife—and introduced them to us.
“It’s good to see you again.”
Mother greeted them politely.
“This is my youngest son, Eun Seo-ho, one of our Deputy Merchant Lords. And this gentleman is Merchant Lord Sa Gu-cheol of the Hongryeon Merchant Group.”
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Eun Seo-ho.”
“Oh! So you’re the famed Handsome Young Hero!”
Merchant Lord Sa Gu-cheol looked at me with overflowing goodwill.
But it was so excessive it made me uncomfortable.
“I only did what needed to be done, so the name is more than I deserve.”
I expressed humility and sighed inwardly.
The Hongryeon Merchant Group was based in Shaanxi and currently ranked 45th among the Hundred Merchant Groups.
They were slightly larger than ours, or perhaps about the same size.
Their primary trade was weapons.
They supplied military goods to the Imperial Court and had built trust by providing high-quality arms.
From what I’d heard, the Hongryeon Merchant Group had quite an unusual origin.
Its founding Merchant Lord had originally been a warrior.
Frustrated by the lack of a sword that suited him, he became a blacksmith’s apprentice, vowing to forge his own.
Apparently, he had more talent for crafting than martial arts, and in time, he mastered the skills to forge exceptional blades.
Word spread, and more and more people sought out his weapons.
As the first generation passed into the second and third, the group eventually made its way into the ranks of the Hundred Merchant Groups.
Still, I couldn’t believe my name had reached even Shaanxi.
“More than you deserve? What are you saying? Do you know how grateful the merchants of Shaanxi are to you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Wasn’t it you who took down the Shaanxi Scorpion?”
Ah…
That’s when I realized why Merchant Lord Sa Gu-cheol was looking at me with such overwhelming kindness.
Was it last summer?
When we went to Shaanxi to trade, the Shaanxi Scorpion tried to scam the Eunhae Merchant Group.
I’m not the type to sit back and take it.
I captured the Shaanxi Scorpion and handed him over to the county office.
I smiled awkwardly and replied.
“I was only able to catch him thanks to the help of many people. I didn’t do much.”
“Haha, excessive humility isn’t good manners either. I know full well what you did.”
He continued speaking.
“Who do you think the constables at the county office get their weapons from?”
“Hahaha.”
Well, I had nothing to say to that.
“If that man had been left to rampage freely, merchants in Shaanxi would’ve suffered greatly. You’ve done a tremendous service.”
Then he turned to Father and laughed.
“You’ve raised an exceptional son.”
“My son’s quite impressive, isn’t he? Hahaha.”
Ah, Father.
You’re really gilding your son’s face now.
At that moment, Merchant Lord Sa Gu-cheol’s wife spoke.
“The Deputy Merchant Lord looks barely fifteen… How admirable.”
Mother answered.
“He’s eighteen now.”
“Oh my! Is that so?”
She turned to Merchant Lord Sa Gu-cheol and said,
“Come to think of it, our youngest daughter, Yeon-mi, is seventeen.”
At her words, a chill ran down my spine.
This was dangerous.
I quickly cut in.
“You must be tired after such a long journey. We shouldn’t keep you too long.”
Father nodded in agreement.
“It’s quite a distance from Shaanxi to here. Please rest for now. We can speak more tomorrow.”
“Ah, yes, we’ll do that.”
Only after sending them off to their room did I let out a sigh of relief inside.
I was eighteen.
In a few months, I’d turn nineteen.
It was an age when marriage wasn’t unusual, but I had no intention of marrying yet.
I had goals—not only to make the Eunhae Merchant Group the best under heaven but also to take revenge on the Murim Alliance and the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
If someone married me, they’d inevitably suffer for it.
I didn’t want that.
The burden of revenge should be mine alone, as someone who remembers the previous life.
Then I heard Mother speaking to Father.
“Our Seo-ho seems quite popular.”
“Of course. He takes after me, so it’s only natural.”
“You were such a dashing man when we first met. Hohoho.”
“Are you saying I’m not now?”
“Put your hand over your heart and say that again.”
“…”
.
.
.
Night fell.
I got up from the bed and pulled out the Mirror of Illusory Echoes. Then I used it to create an image of myself lying on the bed.
From a distance, I heard the drum announcing the hour of the rat (子時: 11 PM to 1 AM).
“It’s about time for Palgap to show up.”
As if on cue, Palgap’s voice came from outside the door.
“Young Master, it’s Palgap.”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Palgap stepped in. Seeing both me lying on the bed and standing beside it, they flinched in shock.
“Whoa! Sh—That scared me!”
“Why are you so startled?”
“How could I not be? There’s one of you lying on the bed and another standing right there!”
I chuckled.
“Alright, I’m heading out now.”
–TL Notes–
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