Of course, I’d know in time, but I couldn’t help being curious.
Especially since I’d started to feel something extraordinary from my son lately.
And he was still just fifteen.
Anyway, with such remarkable talent, there was no way he didn’t know the road to Jiangxi Province would be treacherous.
“There’s a lot of snow on the way to Jiangxi Province. It’ll be difficult.”
“I’ll be fine. Even trudging through snow is part of the experience.”
“No matter how much martial arts you’ve learned, snowy roads come with their own dangers.”
“But if I don’t go during this break, when else will I be able to visit Jiangxi?”
“You don’t have much time. Even if you do go, you’d only be able to stay a day at most.”
“That’s more than enough.”
Eun Gil-sang felt his son wasn’t telling the whole truth.
So he seemed to recall something, then said to his son,
“Then let’s do this.”
“Yes?”
“There’s an escort delivery heading to Jiangxi carrying goods from the Eunhae Merchant Group. You’ll accompany that escort.”
I was flustered by my father’s words.
Accompany the escort?
The reason I didn’t reveal my true purpose and instead used the excuse of wanting to see Jiangxi’s marketplace was because there was no way to explain that I already knew where the artisan was.
I was planning to say I stumbled upon a genius craftsman at the market and brought him in.
But now Father was telling me to join the escort run while I was at it.
“That’s fine, right, Pavilion Lord Yeon?”
In response to Father’s question, Pavilion Lord Yeon of the Trade Pavilion nodded.
“Of course. The negotiations for the deal are already complete, so it’s just a matter of delivering the goods.”
As soon as Pavilion Lord Yeon finished speaking, I jumped in.
“But I’ve only just started my practical training.”
“We know. But you’ve already proven your skills, and Chief Administrator Yu acknowledged you. You don’t need to worry about that.”
I tried another excuse.
“An escort delivery would take far longer than my break. What about the work I’ll be missing…”
Chief Administrator Yu, seated nearby, answered.
“Go ahead and take the trip.”
“Pardon?”
“Thanks to all the help you’ve given, we’ve got room to breathe. And you should start building escort experience now.”
“But I’m only fifteen…”
Pavilion Lord Yeon followed up.
“You have to experience escort runs to truly understand merchant trade.”
Chief Administrator Yu added with a smile,
“Don’t worry, just go.”
My father continued.
“Actually, the reason I told you to join the escort is for your safety.”
“…”
I had no argument against that.
An escort delivery included many guards to protect the goods.
“But Father, I’m using my vacation for this. Isn’t it a bit much to use the Merchant Group’s resources for my personal trip…”
He smiled as he spoke.
“I’m sending you to work.”
I tilted my head at that, but he simply smiled and added,
“I’ll make sure to give you your break later, so go ahead.”
“Ah!”
That instantly lifted my mood.
I’d been slightly regretful about sacrificing my holiday to bring back the artisan, but if I’d get a break afterward, that was fine.
Then something occurred to me.
“But… the escort delivery’s tomorrow, isn’t it?”
Pavilion Lord Yeon spoke up.
“To be exact, we depart at dawn tomorrow.”
There was no time to waste.
.
.
.
Early the next morning.
I finished my breathing and circulation practice.
Master had said he’d be away on escort duty today.
So he’d told me to review what I learned yesterday on my own, and that I must train with a warrior from the Eunpoong Division.
But since we were leaving early for the escort run, I didn’t train in martial arts today.
After eating the simple breakfast Palgap brought, I informed my grandfather and parents that I’d be off, then headed to the carriage yard with Palgap.
“The Young Master’s first escort run! My heart’s all aflutter and I’m so nervous!”
I chuckled at Palgap’s words.
“I’m the one going on the run. Why’re you nervous?”
“Well, it’s the first time I’m serving you on an escort run, after all!”
“Don’t be nervous. Escort runs take a long time. If you faint from tension, I’ll end up having to look after you instead.”
“Gasp! That… that won’t do!”
“I’m not a child. You don’t need to look after me every second.”
Palgap stared at me quietly.
“What?”
“Why’re you looking at me like that?”
“Lately, Young Master, you seem to forget your own age sometimes. You’re still only fifteen. The country might treat you as an adult, but you’re still young. Other noble sons your age are troublemakers…”
He continued.
“You don’t have to become an adult so soon.”
“Haha.”
I let out an awkward laugh.
He was right, but it couldn’t be helped.
This body might be fifteen, but my mind was thirty-nine.
“I just meant to tell you to treat this trip like a light stroll.”
Before long, we arrived at the carriage yard.
It was a roofed structure to protect goods from snow and rain, ensuring the cargo in carriages didn’t get wet.
Since carriages constantly came and went, it was called a carriage yard. It was both the departure and arrival point for goods.
When we arrived at the section bound for Jiangxi, the porters who were busily loading the wagons quickly bowed their heads.
“Greetings, Young Master.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I returned the greeting and headed to our meeting spot to find the Trade Pavilion’s clerk.
His name was Im Gyeong-bin.
He was a Mu-rank (戊級) clerk, one I often ran into around the Trade Pavilion.
Being relatively high-ranked, he was a seasoned clerk.
“Looks like I’m a bit late.”
“Oh! Young Master, you’re here. I just arrived early. No need to worry.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“I’ve been assigned to assist you personally.”
“If it’s you, Clerk Im, I know I can count on you. I’ll be in your care.”
Besides Clerk Im, there were a few more familiar faces.
They were staff dispatched from the Operations Pavilion and Trade Pavilion.
“Greetings, Young Master.”
“Glad to see you all.”
I exchanged greetings with the others and made my way to where the goods bound for Jiangxi Province were stacked.
To those who looked puzzled by my presence, Clerk Im explained,
“Young Master Eun Seo-ho will be joining us on this escort run.”
“What?”
Everyone nearby was clearly startled by the news, but soon their expressions shifted to understanding.
“Well, it’s about time Young Master Seo-ho started going on escort runs.”
“Feels like just yesterday he was toddling around…”
“And now he’s grown this much already!”
Seeing the workers get emotional like that made me feel a bit awkward.
Clerk Im, standing beside me, spoke up.
“Ah, here comes the Escort Chief and the guards who’ll be accompanying us on this run.”
For a moment, I was the one who got surprised.
Because the Escort Chief for this trip was my master.
I quickly cupped my fists in salute to him.
I was about to greet him, but he beat me to it.
“I’m Gwak Myeong-hyeon, Escort Chief of the Changin Escort Bureau. You can just call me Chief Gwak.”
His meaning was clear.
He didn’t want me to reveal that I was his disciple.
Well, I could play along with that tune.
“I’m Eun Seo-ho, third son of the Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group. I currently work in the Trade Pavilion, so please call me Clerk Eun.”
“Understood, Clerk Eun.”
I addressed everyone.
“Please, all of you, call me Clerk Eun as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
I turned to Clerk Im.
“So, shall we begin the inspection?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. Of course, Yo—”
“Clerk Eun.”
“Yes, Clerk Eun.”
I began reviewing the situation with the documents I was holding.
‘Escort run, huh…’
Father had told me to go and build experience, but the truth was, I already had plenty of experience with escort runs.
When the merchant group entrusted goods to an escort bureau, I hadn’t just sat idly by watching the process.
Of course, representatives from the group accompanied the goods.
Two from the Operations Pavilion to handle miscellaneous affairs, two from the Trade Pavilion for inventory management and transaction coordination, and two from the Finance Pavilion for administrative tasks and accounting.
Six in total, all essential.
In addition, two warriors from the Eunpoong Division were assigned as my personal guards, and another squad joined to protect the cargo.
This time, the squad assigned to escort duty was Squad Three, led by Squad Leader Jeong Chung.
Normally, only a few warriors would accompany a group member for protection, but this time a full squad was joining.
Most likely because of me—being the son of the Merchant Lord.
Originally, the deputy squad leader was supposed to bring half the team, but considering that Squad Leader Jeong Chung joined last minute, it seemed my guess was right.
Jeong Chung was finalizing escort plans with my master.
Meanwhile, we completed the final inspection of the goods.
This time, the cargo heading to Jiangxi was silk brought in from Sichuan.
Once in Jiangxi, it would be traded for tea from Fujian and sugar from Guangxi on the return trip.
Silk is vulnerable to sunlight, so everything had to be packed in boxes for transport.
It’s also sensitive to moisture, so each roll had to be wrapped in paper that could absorb humidity.
Once everything was confirmed to be properly packed, the Trade Pavilion’s clerk ordered the boxes sealed.
Clerk Im turned to Squad Leader Jeong Chung.
“The cargo inspection is complete. We’re ready to depart.”
“Understood. Load everything up—we depart in one shichen.”
Just then, those bustling around stopped and bowed in a particular direction.
“Greetings, Young Masters.”
Turning around at the commotion, I saw my eldest and second brothers at the carriage yard.
I’d already said my goodbyes last night. I wasn’t expecting them here.
“Huh? What’re you guys doing all the way out here?”
“What else? We came to see you off on your first escort run.”
I smiled at my second brother’s words.
“Well, thanks. That’s really thoughtful.”
My eldest brother handed me something.
“Here, take this.”
It was a small, sharp dagger.
“We figured you might need a weapon to protect yourself, so the two of us picked this out together.”
“Oh… thanks.”
I thanked them and turned the dagger over in my hands.
The feel of it wasn’t unfamiliar.
My first escort run in the previous timeline had come a few months later in spring, and back then, they’d given me this very same dagger.
At the time, I thought it was too precious to use, so I’d kept it hidden away in my room.
It wasn’t until much later that I realized they’d been disappointed.
They thought I didn’t like it because I never carried it with me.
This time, I was going to carry it every day. That’d make them happy.
I tucked the dagger carefully inside my robes.
“I’ll make good use of it.”
“Alright. Travel safe.”
And so, I set off on my first escort run, earlier than in my previous life.
.
.
.
Escort runs in winter had their clear pros and cons.
The benefit was that narrow rivers would freeze over, letting you cross without needing a boat or bridge.
But the drawbacks were far greater.
On well-traveled roads where snow had been packed down by many feet, things were fine.
But if the snow piled up to your knees, the road had to be cleared for the carts to pass.
And most of those stretches were mountain paths.
When mountain trails were buried in deep snow, it was impossible to tell where the road was.
We had to clear the snow just to find the path.
So the laborers from the escort bureau went ahead with wooden shovels, clearing a rough trail so the carts could follow.
Naturally, that slowed us down, but there was no choice.
Better to take it slow than risk losing goods or lives.
“Sigh…”
I let out a soft sigh before I realized it.
Watching the workers clear the snow in front, I was struck once again by the reality—I had truly come back to the past.
We were trudging along when—
“Well, it’s been a while.”
At the sudden voice, I looked up.
Standing ahead were two burly men in thick fur coats.
Bandits—no, Green Forest wanderers.
Despite their sudden appearance, Master and Squad Leader Jeong Chung didn’t so much as flinch and calmly stepped forward.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Looks like you’re headed for Jiangxi?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
One of the Green Forest men spoke.
“The snowy mountain paths must be hard on you. The Chieftain invites you to the stronghold for a warm cup of tea before you go.”
An unexpected, completely unanticipated offer.
–TL Notes–
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