On the second floor of the Red Orchid Pavilion, musicians played lively tunes without pause, and the dancers moved in rhythm with the music.
I smiled as I watched one of the dancers.
Because I knew who she—no, he—really was.
His name was Chun-il.
A notorious great thief known for targeting only the wealthy.
And he was one of the people I planned to “pick up” during my time in Luoyang.
In the future, he’d become so famous that people would call him the Silver Three-Tailed Thief (銀三客).
That was because, whenever he infiltrated a wealthy household, he’d steal exactly three silver taels.
He was so elusive that the places he robbed often didn’t even realize they’d been robbed.
Chun-il, who was said to be capable of stealing anything, had a few specialties.
One of them was disguising himself as someone completely unexpected.
What kind of man would go so far as to dress like a woman—with thick makeup—and pose as a dancer?
The disguise alone was impressive enough, but mimicking the dance so perfectly? It was astonishing.
To liven up the gathering, the Red Orchid Pavilion had invited not only musicians but also dancers.
There were no courtesans pouring drinks.
That was because most guests had come with their spouses.
And since this was a gathering of the Hundred Merchant Groups, where important discussions would take place, the absence of courtesans made sense.
Still, music and dancing were necessary to lift the atmosphere, so performers were invited.
Their identities had been thoroughly vetted.
If Chun-il slipped past that, then his skills in disguise and false identification were truly extraordinary.
Really, his transformation was flawless.
So that delicate face of his was being put to use like this.
In my previous life, I only realized he was in disguise because of his behavior.
Running a textile shop under Eunhae meant I naturally dealt with countless women.
Most who came to buy cloth were women.
Even if his disguise and dancing were perfect, there were still subtle behavioral cues that felt out of place.
Most wouldn’t notice them.
But those little things bothered me, and I kept watching him until I figured it out.
That he was Chun-il, the Silver Three-Tailed Guest.
Still, since there was a promise not to arrest those who only stole the silver tokens, I didn’t report him for taking mine.
Back then, I simply admired his skill.
But thinking on it now, I’d missed a golden chance to recruit the best security expert.
I couldn’t afford to miss that chance again.
His end hadn’t been a good one.
Well, expecting a good ending for a thief was absurd in the first place.
He had forcibly taken what belonged to others without rightful compensation.
His targets were always the rich and powerful, which only worsened how he was viewed.
He was sentenced to a punishment harsher than he deserved—executed by dismemberment.
From what I saw, he had the ability to escape prison if he wanted.
But he calmly accepted his fate, and they say he even smiled as his limbs were torn apart.
Saying that he could finally stop stealing.
Knowing that future, there was no way I could leave Chun-il as he was.
And to prevent future losses to our merchant group, I had to bring him in as a security advisor for Eunhae.
Before long, a major theft involving a large amount of gold taels was going to occur.
Then, the dance ended and the dancers withdrew.
Someone stepped onto the stage to begin explaining the purpose of the gathering, and everyone’s attention shifted there.
Taking that moment, I approached the dancer in disguise and offered a cup of water.
“Ah, thank you.”
A slightly husky female voice answered.
One of Chun-il’s skills was voice mimicry. He could imitate anyone, from old men to children, regardless of gender.
No wonder he fooled everyone so easily.
“I hear your performance was quite impressive.”
“You flatter me.”
As he drank the water, I dropped a single phrase.
“Three silver taels.”
“Pfft!”
He choked in shock, spitting out the water he was drinking.
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
Instead of answering, I just gave a sly grin.
“But I’ve never actually seen your skills in action, so I’m curious.”
I subtly raised the silver token hanging from my waist.
“So, if you can’t show me your skill before tonight’s gathering ends, you’ll owe me a favor.”
“I’m sorry, young master. I…”
“What, not confident?”
“…”
“I see. So you’re not confident. Well, with security this tight, even someone like you would find it difficult. Hahaha.”
At those words, his gaze shifted.
“Very well. Just don’t cry when you lose it.”
I responded with a light chuckle.
The game had begun.
Chun-il’s eyes trembled.
‘How did he know?’
Even to himself, his dancer disguise had been perfect.
He had practiced the choreography to match the others exactly, step for step.
Yet some brat not only saw through it, but even challenged him.
With a wager he couldn’t refuse.
‘I don’t know how he figured it out…’
When this gathering ended, he’d need to check again to make sure nothing had slipped.
He looked up at the beautiful young man who’d challenged him.
The chill that had crept up his spine earlier returned.
‘No way. I’m sure it was just cold in the room.’
He tried to settle his nerves with that thought.
Then a voice called out to him.
“Hey! What’re you doing? The next dance is starting soon.”
He quickly fixed his expression and answered with a smile.
“I’m coming.”
The gathering of the Hundred Merchant Groups wasn’t the sort of event where everyone just sat and ate.
Outwardly, it was meant to foster connections among the groups, so the structure encouraged people to move about.
I sat at a table set off to one side, quietly enjoying some food and tea while observing Father.
He was actively conversing with the other Merchant Lords.
Even as he laughed heartily, Father’s gaze remained sharp.
Mother, too, was seated above, mingling with the wives of the other Merchant Lords.
I would have to mingle as well.
This gathering wasn’t just for the Merchant Lords and their spouses—many of their children had also come.
Still, there was plenty of time left, and I wanted to rest a bit longer.
My stamina was fine, but the pressure had worn me down a little.
Meeting Merchant Lord Namgoong Gang of the Baekcheon Merchant Group had really taken its toll.
“I’ll bring you a warm cup of tea instead.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I smiled and thanked the attendant. That was when the attendant spilled the teapot.
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry!”
At his voice, several nearby attendants rushed over and scolded him.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Be more careful!”
“It’s alright.”
He bowed repeatedly and apologized to me.
“Your robe is wet, Young Master… Let me clean it for you.”
He pulled out a cloth and began dabbing at my robe.
I leaned in and whispered quietly into his ear.
“Three silver taels.”
“…!”
At my words, the attendant bit his lip.
Just when had he ditched the dancer disguise and turned into an attendant?
Truly impressive.
If I hadn’t mastered the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art, I might’ve been completely fooled.
Even his Qi signature had changed somehow.
No wonder people kept getting robbed, even with martial artists on guard.
The Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art was exceptionally sensitive to Qi.
My master had once said,
— What this art senses is not surface-level Qi, but the very essence of a person’s Qi.
At least he didn’t give off the foul aura typical of the Unorthodox Sect, so I supposed I should consider that a relief.
The soiled table was cleared, the wet tablecloth replaced, and new food was served.
I liked this spot, so I returned to the same seat.
It was the perfect vantage point for quietly observing others.
That was when I sensed someone sit down next to me.
I turned to see it was Deputy Merchant Lord Sa Gang.
The way he looked at me, it seemed he had something to say.
“Is there something on your mind?”
“Thank you.”
“…Pardon?”
I tilted my head, not understanding why he was thanking me out of the blue.
“Yesterday. The hairpin.”
With those words, I understood what he meant.
“The hairpin I helped you pick out yesterday—your mother must have liked it very much.”
That must be why she wore it on such an important day.
Come to think of it, Mother was also wearing the belt I’d given her.
Feeling a little bashful, I scratched my cheek.
Just then, Deputy Sa Gang said, hesitating slightly,
“She cried.”
“…”
So his mother had been moved to tears.
I asked, just to confirm the unlikely thought forming in my head.
“Was that… the first gift you ever gave your mother?”
He nodded.
Ah…
No wonder she cried.
Her first gift from her son, after twenty years.
“I must repay you.”
“There’s no need for that. It wasn’t such a great deed that I should be rewarded for it.”
“…”
Just then—
“Ah! Here you were.”
It was Deputy Merchant Lord Han Baek-geon who called out to me.
A welcome face.
He was two years older than me and the Deputy of the Hongnang Merchant Group.
Their group, like ours, was based in Hubei. I’d heard he’d recently become a Deputy.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t attend your appointment ceremony.”
“No worries. I know how busy things are.”
He glanced between me and Deputy Sa Gang and said,
“Still, it’s surprising to see you talking this much with Deputy Sa. That’s rare.”
“It’s not that surprising.”
“Haha. He’s not just quiet, he’s practically mute. Talking to him always leaves me feeling like I’ve hit a wall.”
Saying that right in front of him—guess they were pretty close. Deputy Sa Gang didn’t react much either.
I chuckled softly.
“Does talking even matter? As long as you understand the feeling behind the words, conversation’s not that hard.”
At my words, Deputy Han Baek-geon gave an impressed “Oh-ho,” and Deputy Sa Gang looked at me with eyes full of admiration.
Why those reactions?
Just then, another young man approached our group.
“Baek-geon.”
“Ah! You’re here too! Come, meet someone. This is Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“A pleasure. To think I’d meet the famous Deputy Eun here—what an honor!”
“Likewise. Nice to meet you.”
I greeted him with a cheerful smile. But the greetings didn’t stop there.
“Wait, is that really Deputy Eun Seo-ho?”
“The one with the Self-Dancing Doll?”
“Oh! The one who made the Self-Playing Zither!”
“The one who responsible for the Windcraft Fan?”
“The Handsome Young Hero?!”
Were the things I’d done really that famous?
They whispered for a moment, then began gathering around me one by one. After a while, my throat began to hurt from all the greetings.
Before I knew it, the table I was sitting at had become the center of the gathering for all the young heirs.
Thanks to that, some very useful information was shared around, and I stored it all carefully in my mind.
As we continued chatting, the conversation naturally turned to the silver tokens.
“Hey, why don’t you have your silver token?”
“Sigh… I just lost it.”
“Oh no!”
“It vanished like it was never there.”
“How do they manage to steal just the token, so cleanly…”
Hearing that, I chuckled and subtly shifted my leg under the table.
Thwack—!
There was a faint sound, but the musicians’ performance covered it well.
Still, not bad.
He should’ve felt that one. I used internal force.
Yet he endured it without a sound.
Right now, Chun-il was hiding under our table.
I had no idea when he crawled under there…
The moment he reached for my token, I kicked him.
So spilling the tea was all part of a larger plan?
I did think the tablecloth seemed unusually long.
But sneaking under the tablecloth to steal the token—that’s such a cliché.
Then again, none of the other heirs here would’ve even imagined it.
Of course, I already knew Chun-il’s Qi signature, so stopping him was no trouble at all.
With that, I’d blocked a total of seven attempts.
I could see others losing their silver tokens, but I couldn’t warn them. That was against the rules.
It seemed the rule was based on the idea that everyone must protect their own property.
Well, that made sense.
You should guard what’s yours.
The gathering was nearing its end, and so too was my duel with Chun-il.
Thwack—!
That made eight failed attempts.
–TL Notes–
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