I hesitated before taking it.
“Am I truly allowed to receive this? It feels far too generous.”
“Haha, humble to the very end. Please, take it. You are more than worthy of this plaque.”
Unable to refuse his insistent offer, I accepted the plaque with both hands.
“Thank you. I hope to maintain a strong relationship with Wudang in the future.”
“Of course. I welcome it wholeheartedly.”
We conversed and laughed together like old friends.
“Excuse me, but I believe I should return to my merchant group now.”
“Indeed, you’ve stayed much longer than originally planned. Rest well today and have a safe journey tomorrow.”
“Thank you. I will never forget the Sect Leader’s kindness.”
With that, I took my leave from the Sect Leader.
On my way back to the guest hall, I encountered Elder Jin Jeong.
“Have you finished your conversation with the Sect Leader?”
“Yes, he shared many gracious words with me.”
He smiled faintly and withdrew something from his robes, extending it toward me.
“What is this…?”
“A token of my gratitude.”
“No, I was merely…”
“Please, just accept it.”
At his persistent insistence, I accepted the box and opened it. Inside lay a single white pill.
“It’s a pill that strengthens the blood vessels. We only have a few remaining in our sect, so I hope it will serve you well.”
And so, that day I received three precious gifts.
.
.
.
That night, I encountered the Great Emperor Zhenwu in my dreams.
“Thanks to you, we prevented the shedding of innocent blood on this sacred ground. Therefore, as promised, I shall reveal to you a secret of heaven.”
“As expected, I knew you wouldn’t deceive me.”
“You insolent brat!”
“Ah, my apologies. I meant to only think that, but it slipped out.”
I grinned mischievously.
“So, what is this heavenly secret you’ll share with me?”
“It is…”
Listening to the Great Emperor Zhenwu’s words, I couldn’t help but question him.
“Pardon?”
“What is it?”
“Ah, no—that’s the secret of heaven?”
“It doesn’t seem like much now, does it? The day will come when you’ll prostrate yourself before me in gratitude, you little wretch.”
.
.
.
“Hmm?”
I awakened from sleep and tried to recall my dream.
‘What was it?’
‘I feel like I heard something incredibly important.’
The Great Emperor Zhenwu had definitely appeared in my dream and revealed a heavenly secret to me. I couldn’t remember the specifics, but I wasn’t overly concerned.
It would return to me when I needed it most, just like before.
‘Time to go home now.’
.
.
.
As soon as we finished an early breakfast, my party and I departed the Wudang Sect and set course for the main headquarters of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Clatter, clatter.
Amid the rhythmic sound of carriage wheels rolling across the ground, I gazed at the Wudang Sect through the window. Unlike in my previous life, the Wudang Sect remained intact and whole.
I didn’t know how this would affect the future, but one thing was certain—it wouldn’t benefit the Murim Alliance or the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
Come to think of it, there had been a primary contributor to this incident’s success. I patted my sleeve and called out.
“Geumryeong, come out.”
“Kui?”
At my words, Geumryeong poked its head out from within my sleeve. I retrieved a gold tael from my pocket.
Upon seeing it, Geumryeong’s pupils dilated and sparkled with desire, causing me to chuckle.
“Thanks to you, we were able to deal with the Blood Cult Leader easily this time, so I’m giving you this as a reward.”
“Slurp!”
“Hey, hey! You can’t drool on my clothes!”
I quickly lifted the salivating Geumryeong as it struggled toward the gold tael.
“But you can’t do that anymore. It was fortunate that the Blood Cult Leader was the one who consumed it, but what if some innocent person had eaten it instead?”
“Kui…”
“So… inform me in advance from now on. That way I can take appropriate action, understood?”
“Ku… i?”
“Got it?”
“Ku…”
“Here, eat up.”
I held the gold tael before Geumryeong, and it swiftly snatched the precious metal and swallowed it whole. The gold tael was quite substantial, yet it devoured it in a single gulp.
‘What a remarkable little creature.’
Honestly, the gold tael’s value was immense, but Geumryeong deserved every bit of it. If the Blood Cult Leader hadn’t perished in that manner, countless people would have shed their blood.
Moreover, with Hubei thrown into chaos, our merchant group would have suffered devastating losses.
The Murim Alliance.
The Alliance Leader’s brow furrowed as he listened to the report.
“So it failed?”
“Yes. The accomplice, Elder Jin Gu, is imprisoned in the Repentance Cave, while the one responsible for procuring the elixir is confined in the thunder prison.”
“Since it’s a failed operation, it can’t be helped. Silence them.”
“Yes.”
His subordinate acknowledged the order and handed him the document he’d been carrying.
“Here is the detailed report.”
The Alliance Leader was reading through the report when his gaze stopped at a particular section, and his expression grew intrigued.
“Eun Seo-ho? You mean the youngest son of the Eunhae Merchant Group?”
“Yes. He claimed to have come to deliver a donation.”
“His name appears far too frequently to be mere coincidence. Isn’t it peculiar that he was present every time our operations failed?”
“Can it really be anything other than a coincidence?”
“I suppose so.”
He nodded thoughtfully. Something felt amiss, but it made no sense to suggest the young man knew their plans in advance and came specifically to thwart them.
“Very well. You may go.”
His subordinate departed, leaving the Alliance Leader to stare at his own reflection in the mirror. Red, glowing eyes stared back at him.
He quickly concealed those eyes and muttered under his breath.
“You should have at least been useful before dying, you foolish bastard.”
When I arrived at the main headquarters, Brother Jin-ho was there to welcome me.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah, it took longer to return than I anticipated.”
But Brother Jin-ho’s expression was somewhat grim.
“Is something wrong?”
“…Yeah.”
“What is it?”
I asked, becoming serious. If Brother Jin-ho’s expression was that dark, it had to be a grave matter—and not just any serious issue.
“Geon-hyeok and Bo-yeon…”
Eun Geon-hyeok, Eun Bo-yeon. They were Brother Jeong-ho’s children, born in this lifetime.
They were twins, born before I left for the Wudang Sect, so they should be slightly over two months old by now.
In my previous life, my sister-in-law had been pregnant when I died, awaiting the child’s birth. It was an extremely precious child, conceived after more than ten years of marriage, so the entire family had been in celebration.
But when the Baekcheon Merchant Group decided to annihilate the Eunhae Merchant Group, would they have spared the child in my sister-in-law’s womb?
My nephew, who died before ever being born, had returned in this life.
Perhaps because of that history, these two children held even greater significance for me.
So when Brother Jin-ho spoke their names, my heart couldn’t help but sink.
“What about Geon-hyeok and Bo-yeon?”
“Those kids… they cry whenever they see me.”
“Huh?”
“No, seriously, do I look that frightening? I just went over and did a little coochie-coo…”
“So you’re telling me Geon-hyeok and Bo-yeon cry whenever they see your face?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re being serious about this?”
“Yeah.”
“And nothing else is wrong besides that?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
I genuinely felt the urge to punch Brother Jin-ho.
.
.
.
I first returned to my private residence, washed thoroughly, and changed into fresh clothes. When I had met Father looking disheveled before, he’d told me the report could wait—I should clean up first and then come.
And so, looking presentable, I headed to the Silver Dragon Pavilion to report to Father about this donation trip.
“Your son has returned safely.”
“Yes, you’ve worked hard.”
“Here is a letter from the Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect.”
Father opened the letter and read its contents. Before leaving the Wudang Sect, the Sect Leader had given me this letter to deliver to Father.
He’d mentioned it contained gratitude for the generous donation and supplies. Since it would have been improper for me to read correspondence addressed to Father, I hadn’t looked at it.
But observing Father’s expression as he read, I wondered if I should have read it beforehand.
“Hmm, Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Is Palgap well?”
“Yes. Fortunately, there are no particular concerns.”
“Yes, I thought so. That bloodline doesn’t stray far.”
“Pardon?”
‘Did I just hear something strange?’
But my question was swept away by Father’s next inquiry.
“You fought against those who attacked the Wudang Sect! What in the world is this about?”
“That is…”
“Does trouble seek you out? Or do you leap into trouble?”
“…”
At Father’s words, I smiled awkwardly and replied.
“That, I’m not entirely certain myself.”
Father looked me up and down, then nodded as if relieved.
“It’s fortunate that you don’t appear seriously injured. You’ve done well.”
“Yes, then I’ll take my leave.”
After departing Father’s office, I next went to see my grandfather. Following that visit with my mother, I headed to Brother Jeong-ho’s private residence.
“Welcome, Young Master. It’s wonderful to see you return in good health.”
“Yes, it’s reassuring to see that you also appear well, sister-in-law.”
My sister-in-law, who had grown gaunt immediately after childbirth, now looked healthy and vibrant.
“It seems Brother Jeong-ho is quite busy at the moment.”
“Yes, he mentioned being occupied with silk delivery arrangements. We’ve decided to compete for selection as the Imperial silk delivery merchant group in six months.”
A problem had arisen with the merchant group that had been supplying silk to the Imperial Family, prompting them to select a new delivery merchant group.
In my previous life, our merchant group ranked too low among the hundred great merchant groups to even attempt such a challenge.
But not now. Our recently announced ranking was forty-ninth—sufficient to make a legitimate bid. I had discreetly passed this information to Father.
Now Brother Jeong-ho was handling that endeavor. Since neither Brother Jin-ho nor I harbored ambitions for the successor position, this must be to solidify Brother Jeong-ho’s status as heir apparent.
He needed recognition not only from supervisors within the merchant group but also from external parties to naturally inherit the Merchant Lord position later.
“Brother Jeong-ho will succeed.”
“I’m certain he will. I have complete faith in my husband.”
I smiled gently and continued.
“Are Geon-hyeok and Bo-yeon doing well?”
“Of course.”
My sister-in-law spoke to her maid and requested that she bring the two children from their nursemaid.
There existed an unwritten rule for those who traveled long distances—avoid contact with newborns until fifteen days after returning, due to concerns about bringing harmful energy from other places.
But I had Geumryeong. As a spirit beast with the ability to dispel malevolent energy, I trusted in Geumryeong’s protection while visiting the two children.
Shortly after, two nursemaids entered carrying the children. Seeing the two infants wrapped in swaddling clothes, I smiled brightly.
“Hello there?”
Upon seeing me, Geon-hyeok and Bo-yeon giggled delightfully.
“Oh my!”
Witnessing this, my sister-in-law smiled and commented.
“They cry every time they see Young Master Jin-ho, but they smile when they see Young Master Seo-ho. I suppose even babies recognize who’s handsome.”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed somewhat awkwardly. I suddenly felt a sharp gaze from beside me, and when I turned, I saw Palgap staring at me intently.
‘Hmm, I think he just cursed me with his eyes.’
‘But why, when I haven’t done anything deserving of such treatment?’
.
.
.
That evening, I visited the residence of Clerk Heo Un, who had finished his work for the day.
“Welcome, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Yes, you’ve been well.”
I presented the golden fruit to him.
“What is this?”
At his question, I explained about the Divine Spirit Restoration Fruit.
“…and so I wish to give this to you, Clerk Heo Un.”
“You’re saying if I consume this, my leg will be restored?”
“That’s correct.”
I had been pondering what to do with the Divine Spirit Restoration Fruit that Geumryeong had acquired, when I thought of Clerk Heo Un.
I wanted to restore the leg he’d lost while working for the Baekcheon Merchant Group. And since he was a talent who would greatly benefit our merchant group in the future, there was also the calculated advantage of putting him in my debt.
But Clerk Heo Un shook his head firmly.
“Thank you for the consideration, but I will not consume it.”
“Pardon?”
Surprised by his unexpected refusal, I listened as he calmly explained.
“Honestly, I’m tempted. But I’ve grown quite accustomed to my current condition, and I fear that consuming it would weaken my desire for revenge, regardless of my memories. So please save it for when you truly need it.”
“Are you absolutely certain about this?”
“Yes. I’m fine as I am.”
Looking at him, the story of Wo Xin Chang Dan (卧薪尝胆) came to mind—sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall, enduring hardship to achieve one’s goal.
I too had resolved to take revenge on the Baekcheon Merchant Group and the Murim Alliance, so I understood his sentiments all too well.
That’s why I had no choice but to return it to my robes.
.
.
.
And so, time flowed onward.
Before I realized it, the snow had melted and the harsh winds had transformed into gentle spring breezes.
It was the fifth month.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
As I was reviewing documents in my office within the Virtuous Wind Department, Palgap called out urgently and burst into the room.
“It’s a dire emergency, sir! The two young masters are gravely ill!”
“What?”
.
.
.
I rushed to Brother Jeong-ho’s private residence.
Just then, the Pavilion Lord of the Medical Pavilion emerged from the children’s room. Given the severity of the situation, he had hurried over personally.
“How are our children?”
At my sister-in-law’s anxious question, the Medical Pavilion Lord answered with a sorrowful expression.
“I have no idea what this illness could be. I’m deeply sorry.”
“Ah…”
I witnessed the despairing faces of Brother Jeong-ho and my sister-in-law.
With a heavy heart, I entered the room where the two children lay. The two infants who used to giggle joyfully upon seeing me were now gasping for breath.
‘Must I lose my nephews again, just as in my previous life?’
I bit my lip against rising frustration.
I considered the Divine Spirit Restoration Fruit, but that was intended for healing physical damage, not curing illnesses.
It was then that something happened.
“Ugh!”
In that instant, a jolt shot through my head, and something surfaced in my memory.
It was the ‘secret of heaven’ that the Great Emperor Zhenwu had shared as a reward for preventing the bloodbath at the Wudang Sect.
That heavenly secret was meant for this very moment.
–TL Notes–
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AGAIN WITH THE CLIFFHANGER?!?