As I was thinking that, someone approached me.
It was Supervisor Geum, one of the two supervisors.
“Excuse me, I have something to say.”
“Yes.”
I gestured for Escort Guard Seo Wu, who had been standing beside me, to give us some space.
Seo Wu stepped away, maintaining a proper distance. Of course, his eyes never left me.
“What is it?”
“Third Deputy Merchant Lord… do you want the Merchant Lord’s seat?”
“Huh?”
Was he asking if I wanted to become Merchant Lord right now?
“What do you mean?”
“I mean it exactly as it sounds. I’m asking if you intend to take the Merchant Lord’s position.”
Supervisor Geum continued.
“Even if you’re the representative this time, this is something the First Deputy Merchant Lord has prepared with great effort from beginning to end. I can’t stand by and watch you take the credit.”
Ah. So that’s why he’d been prickly with me ever since I stepped in for Jeong-ho to lead the Imperial Silk Supplier Competition.
Good for Jeong-ho.
He has such a loyal man on his side.
Come to think of it, Supervisor Geum was also a staunch supporter of Jeong-ho in my past life.
He was so capable he eventually rose to Chief Supervisor.
But he had one flaw, and it was exactly this.
Once he decided something was wrong, or when he thought something must be protected, he drew his sword over it too quickly.
And right now, the thing he was trying to protect was my brother Jeong-ho’s achievement.
When I let out a chuckle, Supervisor Geum’s face hardened.
“What’s so funny? Do my words amuse you?”
“Ah, no. It’s not that. I laughed because I agree with you.”
“Huh?”
Supervisor Geum blinked in confusion.
“You agree… with what?”
“Even if I’m handling this in my brother Jeong-ho’s place, I have no intention of taking credit for it. This achievement belongs to him.”
“I heard you requested to take charge of this from the Merchant Lord first. If you’re not after the Merchant Lord’s seat, then why…”
“Because the representative needed to be from the direct line. I actually suggested that the Chief Supervisor handle it, but it turned out there’s a rule.”
“…”
“And other than my brother Jeong-ho, I’m the one who knows the silk business best. Hm… imagine if it had been my brother Jin-ho in this position.”
At my words, Supervisor Geum sighed.
He knew it too. In matters like this, my brother Jin-ho was lacking.
“Well, he’s good at drinking and gathering gossip. That’s a useful talent too. But this competition is tied to the Imperial Court.”
“…”
“My brother Jeong-ho worked so hard for this, he collapsed. I’m just here to make sure his efforts don’t go to waste. So.”
I smiled faintly.
“Don’t get prickly over nothing. I don’t like stuffy positions like the Merchant Lord’s anyway.”
Saying that, I turned and walked back toward Escort Guard Seo Wu.
I could understand why Supervisor Geum might misunderstand.
We three brothers were all Deputy Merchant Lords.
Which meant we were all candidates for Merchant Lord. Our father and grandfather had also won their seats through such competition.
In that context, I hadn’t ever officially declared that I was stepping down from the race.
I thought the three of us had a tacit understanding, and that the people in the merchant group had picked up on it too.
Apparently, some hadn’t.
Well, I should’ve stirred up more trouble for it to be clear.
That didn’t mean I planned to hold back.
The more I rampaged, the higher the Eunhae Merchant Group would rise.
I really should make it clear one day.
I’m not interested in the Merchant Lord’s seat.
Thinking that, I spoke to Escort Guard Seo Wu.
“Let’s head in.”
“Understood.”
Back in my room, I told Palgap to summon the Escort Chief of the Changin Escort Bureau.
“Um, you called?”
“Yes. Come in.”
This time, the one working with us was Escort Chief Song Bo.
When I offered him a seat, Palgap poured him some tea.
“Escort Chief. Be honest. You’re annoyed, aren’t you?”
“Huh?”
“We travel just fine, then there’s a boulder in the road. A log. A beehive. I’m getting irritated.”
Only then did Escort Chief Song nod, as if understanding what I meant.
“I feel the same. It’s not a major issue, but it does wear on the nerves.”
“At this point, it’s clearly intentional interference. Do you have any suspects?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I’ve had enough of it. While it’s been petty stuff so far, who knows what they’ll try next?”
“That’s true.”
“I’ve thought about it, and I believe it’s the group moving just ahead of us. They know we’re on their tail, so they’re pulling these stunts.”
“That’s a reasonable assumption.”
I gave a slight smile.
“So I was thinking, how about we slap them back?”
“You have a plan?”
Instead of answering, I held out my hand to Palgap, who handed me a map.
I spread it out and pointed to a spot.
“If you look here, there’s a shortcut. It’s narrow and rough, so people usually avoid it. But if we take it, we’ll get ahead of them.”
“I know that path. Don’t worry. Everyone’s already fired up.”
Well, the people suffering the most from the sabotage were the escort bureau.
With our plan in place, we departed early the next morning.
Around noon, we changed our route as planned.
I had already informed the Supervisors, so there was no objection.
The escort bureau’s men looked like they’d already discussed it beforehand. Their faces were firm with resolve.
We pushed through the shortcut at full speed.
Though the path was rough, everyone was determined, and we rejoined the main road before sunset.
“I scouted ahead. No signs of a large merchant group passing through yet.”
“Looks like we made it ahead of them. As expected, the Changin Escort Bureau lives up to its name.”
“Hahaha. Thank you. Since we have time, let’s make camp early.”
“Understood.”
We set up camp without issue and ate dinner.
If my guess was right, the ones behind the sabotage would be arriving soon.
While we rested, I sensed a large group approaching.
It wasn’t just a few people. It was dozens. Had to be a merchant group and an escort bureau.
Finally, the likely culprits appeared.
They came closer and stopped at a distance.
By now, Escort Chief Song Bo had surely noticed them as well.
It was time to scout them.
Since my martial level was still a secret, it would be better to send either Escort Guard Seo Wu or Jin Yu.
But then, Escort Chief Song asked an unexpected question.
“Will you be joining us for the scouting, Deputy Merchant Lord?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Feigning ignorance, I tilted my head.
He leaned in and spoke quietly.
“I heard it from the Palace Lord.”
“…!”
He was from Snow Wind Palace.
He smiled.
“No need to hide it from me.”
“I see.”
Then there was no need to hold back.
I took only Escort Guard Jin Yu and moved quietly with Escort Chief Song.
.
.
.
Crackle, crackle.
The sound of campfires echoed through the night.
The group sat in small clusters, eating their meal. When I saw the flag hanging from the wagons, I confirmed their identity.
It was the Jin Family Merchant Group, another merchant group from Hubei like us.
With a hand signal, I ordered Jin Yu and Escort Chief Song to hide their presence further as we drew closer.
“We walked a lot again today.”
“Yeah. I’m exhausted.”
“Hurry up and eat. Just because we eat doesn’t mean the work stops.”
“Tell me about it.”
They looked like porters.
We remained patient, watching and listening.
Sure enough, after about one ke, the conversation we wanted began.
“But, is it really okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, messing with the merchant group behind us.”
“Ah… the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“Even if it’s just to get under the skin of the Changin Escort Bureau, they’re still the Eunhae Merchant Group. Aren’t the higher-ups afraid of backlash?”
“You think this was the Escort Chief’s idea?”
“So the Jin Family Merchant Group too…?”
“From their point of view, the Eunhae Merchant Group is a powerful rival. Even delaying them is a win.”
“Well, yeah, but still… it’s risky.”
“Do they have proof?”
“…No.”
“Then stop worrying and eat.”
“You bastard. You’re way too relaxed. Never mind the escort bureau, but do you even know what kind of people the Eunhae Merchant Group are?”
“So what? They’ve got no proof. If they start whining about minor interference, they’ll just look like sore losers.”
“You’ve got a slick tongue, you know that?”
That was enough.
I sent a sound transmission to the others and quietly withdrew.
Once back at our camp, I summoned the Supervisors.
When I explained what I heard, their expressions turned incredulous.
“So you’re saying the escort bureau guarding the Jin Family Merchant Group is behind this?”
Escort Chief Song lowered his head.
“I apologize. This happened because our industry lacks honor.”
I shook my head.
“Raise your head. This isn’t the Changin Escort Bureau’s fault. If there’s blame, it lies with that escort bureau…”
“It’s the Daewoong Escort Bureau.”
“Yes. The Daewoong Escort Bureau, and the Jin Family Merchant Group that encouraged it.”
I paused, then continued.
“And I don’t plan to let this go.”
At that, Chief Supervisor Seok cautiously asked.
“Do you have a plan? As they said, there’s no solid evidence. And it’s all minor stuff.”
“Exactly. If we take this to the examiners, we’ll just look petty.”
They were right. It was a vague, frustrating situation.
But then, an idea popped into my head.
“Tell me. Do any of you like ghost stories?”
Hoo… hoo…
An owl hooted in the cold night.
Campfires flickered in the Daewoong Escort Bureau and Jin Family Merchant Group’s camp.
Mandong, an escort guard in his third year, was standing night watch with another man.
“Ugh. Something about tonight gives me the chills.”
“It’s just the cold.”
As they stood watch, sleep crept up on them.
“Why am I so sleepy tonight…”
“Stay sharp. If the Escort Chief catches you nodding off, you’ll be half-dead.”
“Urgh.”
They straightened up, eyes outward.
Then someone tapped Mandong’s shoulder.
“What?”
Mandong turned his head. But his fellow guard looked confused.
“Huh?”
“You tapped my shoulder. Did you need something?”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t touch you.”
“Did I imagine it?”
Mandong furrowed his brow, then turned back toward the forest.
After half a ke, he felt the same tap again.
“What is it?”
“Huh?”
“You tapped me again.”
“When did I touch you?”
His fellow guard looked puzzled.
“Weird…”
Mandong scratched his cheek, now clearly uneasy.
Another ke passed, and his partner finally muttered.
“I can’t hold it anymore. I’m going to relieve myself.”
“Be quick, idiot.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Mandong stood watch alone.
And then, someone tapped his shoulder again.
For the third time.
Mandong lost his temper and snapped.
“You bastard, you think this is funny? You think I’m—”
He froze mid-sentence.
There was no one there.
His partner hadn’t returned.
Then who…?
His legs began to tremble.
“Hey, I’m back… What’s wrong?”
His partner returned to find him pale and shaking.
Mandong whispered, trembling.
“Gh-ghost…”
Then collapsed.
And he wasn’t the only one.
The Deputy Merchant Lord of the Jin Family Merchant Group, the Escort Chief of the Daewoong Escort Bureau, the supervisors—all of them lay wide-eyed in the night, afraid of the mysterious shoulder-tapping ghost.
Step. Step.
Footsteps echoed through the silence.
To those already rattled by fear, the sound hit like thunder.
–TL Notes–
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