I said to the shopkeeper,
“Please show me that hairpin over there, and the gold belt next to it.”
At my words, the shopkeeper brought out the two items and showed them to me.
“Here you are.”
Looking at the jade hairpin and the gold belt, I smiled in satisfaction.
In my previous life, they’d ended up in the hands of the Unorthodox Sect and were used to harm innocent people. But not this time.
“Please wrap them separately.”
“I’ll assist you with the payment first.”
I paid for the two accessories, and the shopkeeper placed each one in a silk pouch.
With this, I had fulfilled the reason I came to the Luoyang market today.
“Please come again.”
I left the jewelry shop with Deputy Merchant Lord Sa Gang and looked back briefly.
This shop was run by the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
In other words, the Baekcheon Merchant Group had let these two artifacts slip through their fingers without ever knowing they possessed them.
In my previous life, they went to an Unorthodox Sect martial artist.
This time, they came to me.
Twice the satisfaction.
.
.
.
That evening, I went to visit Mother.
“What brings you here?”
“I went to the market today and saw something that I thought would suit you, so I bought it.”
At my words, Mother beamed brightly.
“My son bought a gift for me?”
“Yes. I don’t know if you’ll like it, though.”
She opened the pouch I held out, and her smile grew even brighter.
“Oh my, it’s a belt!”
“Do you like it?”
Mother nodded enthusiastically.
“Of course I do. I love it!”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
I continued.
“Could you try pulling the ornament on the side of the belt?”
At my words, Mother tilted her head and tugged the ornament.
Click.
At the sound, she tilted her head again and asked,
“Is this… a concealed sword?”
“Yes.”
When I answered, she pulled on the section of the belt, and a slender blade slid out.
“Oh my!”
She looked even happier than before.
She always said she’d become the wife of a merchant, but in my eyes, Mother suited the life of a martial artist much more.
Her family came from one of the martial clans of Hubei and was known for using concealed swords.
She had First-rate skill but gave up the sword to devote herself to the role of a housewife. I’d always found that unfortunate.
Why hadn’t I thought to gift her a sword in my previous life?
Seeing her smile like a young girl over the sword I gave her left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.
The sword I gifted her was forged by an ancient craftsman known as the Celestial Smith (天匠). It was an artifact capable of tracking and cutting down a target on its own, should the wielder will it.
With this concealed sword in her possession, she would be more than capable of defending herself if anything ever happened.
Leaving her room, I lay down on my bed.
“Phew!”
But I soon sat up.
I’d just remembered I hadn’t done my daily training.
On the third day after arriving in Luoyang.
I dressed more extravagantly than usual. That was because tonight was the gathering of the Hundred Merchant Groups.
When I came down to the first floor, Deputy Merchant Lord Sa Gang was already there.
“You’re early.”
“Yes.”
He too was dressed more formally than usual today.
Soon after, Merchant Lord Sa Gu-cheol and his wife, along with my parents, came down.
I chuckled to myself.
The hairpin in Lady Sa’s hair was the one I’d picked out for her.
Come to think of it, Mother was also wearing the belt I’d given her.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
.
.
.
Tonight’s gathering of the Hundred Merchant Groups was being held at the Red Orchid Pavilion (紅蘭樓) in Luoyang.
It was a five-story tower, rented out entirely for tonight’s event.
As its name suggested, it was painted entirely in red.
Red silk flowers decorated the interior, creating a strangely surreal atmosphere.
I’d been to this place about five or six times in my previous life.
Twice of those visits had been for gatherings of the Hundred Merchant Groups.
The location changed with every meeting, but when it was held in Luoyang, they always used this largest venue.
The rest of my visits had been for business.
When we got off the carriage, attendants rushed over to greet us.
“Welcome, sirs.”
“Please wear this silver token on your waist.”
I examined the silver token handed to me by the attendant. Engraved on it were the words: Gathering of the Hundred Merchant Groups.
It had been a while since I’d touched one of these.
The rule was to wear the token yourself, without assistance from any attendants or servants.
We fastened the tokens to our waists and stepped inside.
“Welcome!”
“Pleasure to see you!”
The Merchant Lords who had arrived early greeted us warmly.
One of them said to Father,
“I see a young man with you today. Is he your son?”
“That’s right. My youngest.”
At Father’s words, I gave a martial greeting and bowed my head.
“I’m Eun Seo-ho.”
“Ah! So you’re the one they say became the youngest Deputy Merchant Lord in Eunhae Merchant Group’s history.”
“I only earned the position thanks to the generosity of those around me.”
“Don’t be so modest. The Pavilion Lords of the Eunhae Merchant Group are not the sort of people who hand out titles lightly!”
As I exchanged greetings with the other Merchant Lords, I quietly observed their faces.
I did this to recall memories from my previous life and consider the relationships I’d need to manage from now on.
Hmm. That Merchant Lord aligned himself with the wrong side of the Imperial Court and ruined his group overnight.
That one had a son who ran the entire group into the ground.
Comparing their current appearance to what I remembered from my past life was surprisingly informative—and amusing.
That was when it happened.
I felt a sudden chill crawl up my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
I slowly turned my head.
“…!”
A man with a goatee was approaching me.
Merchant Lord Namgoong Gang of the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
The closer he came, the faster my heart pounded.
At the same time, I could almost hear the words he’d said to me when he killed me echoing in my ears.
— Your Eunhae Merchant Group grew too big. It became a nuisance. And your righteousness? That was annoying too. You people raised the standard of virtue, and that makes things harder for the rest of us. Basically, you were an eyesore.
— Yeah, that reaction’s what I was hoping for. Would’ve been boring if you didn’t react. You know what?
— The real reason we crushed the Eunhae Merchant Group was you.
— Farewell.
And I could almost feel once more the cold edge of Namgoong Gang’s sword as it pierced my neck.
Following the old shopkeeper’s advice, I had come to the gathering with confidence, but facing him directly like this… it still wasn’t easy.
Cold sweat trickled down my back without me realizing, and my hands felt icy.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The sound of my heartbeat echoed through my whole body.
At that moment—
“Are you alright?”
Seeing that my complexion didn’t look good, Mother came over and gently held my hand.
“Ah…”
From her warm touch, the pounding of my heart began to settle.
Then I caught sight of the belt around her waist.
And at that instant, the things I’d snatched right from the Murim Alliance’s doorstep flashed through my mind.
An overwhelming amount of luminous pearls.
The concealed sword, a masterpiece of the Celestial Smith.
And the hairpin meant for my future sister-in-law.
As I recalled them, a strange sense of liberation surged up, as if a weight had been lifted off my chest.
Just as the old man had said—when they eventually learned I was the one who took all that, what kind of face would they make?
Just imagining it made me look forward to it.
Not that I ever intended to tell them, of course.
By then, Merchant Lord Namgoong Gang of the Baekcheon Merchant Group had drawn near.
Father greeted him.
“It’s been a long time.”
After exchanging greetings with him, Father introduced me.
“Come, greet him. This is Merchant Lord Namgoong Gang of the Baekcheon Merchant Group.”
“I’m Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho.”
“You certainly look the part of a Merchant Lord’s son. Very impressive.”
At his words, I offered a polite martial greeting, and Father chuckled heartily.
“This boy takes after me quite a bit in my younger days. Hahaha!”
Father and Namgoong Gang exchanged a few words, but then someone called him from behind.
“Seems something’s come up. I hope you enjoy the evening. You too, young lord.”
He turned and walked away toward the voice that had called him.
Father watched him leave for a moment, then turned to me and asked,
“Your face was pale just a moment ago, but you seem better now.”
“Well… I was feeling a little faint, thinking about being in the presence of so many Merchant Lords from the Hundred Merchant Groups. But then I remembered—we’re one of the Hundred too. That thought steadied me.”
“I see.”
Father patted me on the shoulder and said,
“It seems you’ve realized this is a battlefield where no swords are drawn. But here, what matters most is not losing your confidence.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
At that moment, someone appeared on the raised platform at the front of the banquet hall.
An old man with a white beard.
He was the host of this gathering and the Merchant Lord of the world-renowned Sebin Merchant Group—Merchant Lord In Gang-su.
Among all who lived in the Central Plains, there were hardly any who hadn’t at least heard the name of the Sebin Merchant Group before they died.
Sebin dealt mainly in the Four Treasures of the Study—paper, brushes, ink, and inkstones—and was also the largest distributor of alcohol.
They were also the official paper supplier to the Imperial Court.
Dum-dum-dum—!
At the sound of drums, silence fell over the hall and all attention turned to Merchant Lord In Gang-su.
“First of all, I thank you all for gathering here today.”
He continued.
“It seems there are still a few who haven’t arrived, but with most of us present, let’s begin the gathering of the Hundred Merchant Groups.”
He grinned.
“And please, check the silver tokens on your waist carefully. I hear many have come aiming for them again this year.”
“…”
Everyone tensed at those words, and Merchant Lord In Gang-su pulled a fan from his robe.
“Well then, let the Gathering of the Hundred Merchant Groups begin.”
With that declaration, he struck the drum himself using the fan.
Dum-dum-dum!
The gathering had begun.
Chun-il was a thief.
There was no particular reason why he became one.
It was just to survive.
His parents died during a clash between martial artists.
And when the fighting ended, those warriors simply left. No one paid any attention to Chun-il.
He wandered the streets and eventually joined a beggar gang.
But even those days were far from happy.
If he failed to meet his daily quota, he was beaten badly by the gang boss. For a child, it was more pain than he could endure.
One day, he had a thought.
‘There’s no rule that says I have to meet the quota through begging, right? I just need to make the amount, no matter how.’
That day, he slipped into an empty house and stole some money.
Not only did he avoid a beating, he was actually praised by the boss.
From then on, he stole again. And again.
And the thefts became bolder.
One day, while sneaking into a house to steal something, he ran into a man.
Caught in the act, he thought he was finished.
But the man simply smiled and said,
“Why bother with petty theft? Want to become a real thief?”
That was when he met his master.
It turned out Chun-il had a natural talent for stealing. He absorbed every skill his master taught him.
Eventually, the master said, “You’ve surpassed me.”
Once he reached that level, there was nothing he couldn’t steal.
But stealing was still a crime, and guilt always lingered deep inside him.
Then came a day that shook him to his core.
He saw a crowd gathered around a home.
Inside, a young couple was crying in grief.
He recognized the man’s face. He was someone Chun-il had pickpocketed.
And he overheard the crowd murmuring.
“They say they were headed to the physician because of the child’s illness, but they didn’t make it.”
“He lost the money after being pickpocketed.”
“What kind of bastard would steal a sick child’s treatment money?”
“Exactly! Scum like that deserve to be torn to pieces!”
At those words, Chun-il felt a wave of nausea rise.
‘What the hell did I do?’
He vomited everything he’d eaten that day.
Though he tried to quit stealing, habits die hard. He eventually returned to his old ways.
Still tormented by guilt, he made a decision.
If he was going to steal, he’d only target those who wouldn’t be hurt by losing a few coins.
That’s how he became the Great Thief Chun-il, who stole only from the wealthy.
And there was no way someone like him would miss the Gathering of the Hundred Merchant Groups.
Especially when they were practically inviting him to steal the silver tokens.
So far, he had never failed to take the token he set his eyes on.
At one banquet, he’d lifted twenty tokens with ease.
But what Chun-il didn’t know—
Was that someone in the Red Orchid Pavilion, where he had slipped in to steal silver tokens, knew his true identity.
The gaze of a beautiful young man in fine clothing sent a chill down his spine.
–TL Notes–
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