That day, I left the Merchant Group with an invitation in hand.
Of course, I had a mountain of things to do, but those could wait.
If worst came to worst, I could cut back on sleep or pull an all-nighter.
But Lady Ha’s matter was a race against time.
“Are we heading to the Changin Escort Bureau?”
At Escort Guard Seo Wu’s question, I nodded.
“Yes.”
The Escort Guards assigned to me today were Seo Wu and Lee Pil. I brought Palgap as well, and together we headed for the Changin Escort Bureau.
Since Lady Ha was said to be working there as an Escort Guard, I’d be able to meet her if I went directly.
We arrived not long after.
It wasn’t far from the Eunhae Merchant Group.
That’s why brother Jin-ho could visit at least once every three days.
Not that distance would have stopped him, even if it were farther.
“Where are you from?”
At the gatekeeper’s question, I answered.
“I’m Eun Seo-ho, Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group. I’ve come to pay my respects to the Department Chief of the Changin Escort Bureau.”
“Ah! We’ve been expecting you. Please come in.”
Thanks to the message I’d sent ahead, we were shown in immediately.
A familiar Attendant approached and bowed with an apologetic expression.
“I’m terribly sorry. An urgent guest has arrived, so the Department Chief is currently speaking with him…”
“It’s fine. That kind of thing happens in this line of work. I’ll take a look around the bureau in the meantime.”
“Ah, would you?”
The Attendant seemed relieved.
“Then I’ll assign someone to guide you.”
A moment later, an Escort Guard came over.
“Ah! Deputy Merchant Lord!”
“It’s been a while.”
He’d been on an escort team during a past trip, so we greeted each other warmly. Then he began guiding us around the bureau.
The training ground took up more space than I’d expected.
“The training ground’s pretty large.”
Escort Guard Seo Wu explained.
“An escort bureau handles both transport and protection. So martial training and physical conditioning are essential. Most of the personnel train regularly whenever they’re not on assignment.”
“Right, that makes sense.”
“The stronger your martial skill, the higher your rank—or the safer you are—so people devote themselves to training.”
At Seo Wu’s words, the Changin Escort Bureau’s Escort Guard, who was guiding us, nodded in agreement.
As we toured the grounds, I spotted a group of women.
Judging by their attire, they were Escort Guards.
Most Escort Guards were men, but women weren’t rare.
Lady Ha should be among them.
I hadn’t heard she was on an escort mission.
Which one is her?
I knew her name, but realized I’d never actually seen her face.
“Wow, they’re unbelievably beautiful.”
At Palgap’s remark, the Escort Guard chuckled.
“They’re our pride. Especially Escort Guard Ha. She’s considered one of the bureau’s dragons and phoenixes.”
“Dragons and phoenixes?”
“You know how the Murim has those, right? Like the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes (五龍三鳳).”
“Ah…”
In the Murim, outstanding, unmarried talents of the younger generation were called dragons and phoenixes. Men were dragons, women phoenixes.
“There are a few people in our bureau who’ve earned that kind of praise, and one of them is Escort Guard Ha.”
“I’m curious which one she is.”
“She’s the second from the left.”
…
No wonder brother Jin-ho fell in love.
Even among the group, she stood out.
“But she’ll probably be off the dragons-and-phoenixes list soon.”
“Why?”
“You don’t know yet? Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Jin-ho’s been visiting constantly. And though she doesn’t say it outright, Escort Guard Ha seems to like him too.”
“Ah… I see.”
If even the Escort Guards were aware, then it was already obvious.
Oh dear, brother Jin-ho.
Still, just looking at her from here, I couldn’t tell at all that she was suffering from severed meridians.
She looked perfectly healthy. Master had even praised her martial skill as outstanding.
So—no symptoms yet.
That’s why no one had noticed.
But it was certain. In my previous life, Lady Ha had died from Three Yin Severance within a year.
After thinking for a moment, I walked toward them.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Ah!”
“Oh my, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
Fortunately, one of them was an Escort Guard I knew.
She’d been on the team that accompanied Mother to Luoyang.
“Ah, Escort Guard In. You’re here too.”
“Yes.”
She introduced me to the others.
“Pay your respects. This is Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“Ah!”
“Hello.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
“Yes, I’m glad to meet you like this. If we happen to work together on an escort for the Eunhae Merchant Group, I’ll be relying on you.”
“Of course.”
“The Eunhae Merchant Group has been one of our long-time clients. Naturally.”
As we exchanged greetings, I turned my gaze subtly to Lady Ha.
Hm?
I couldn’t tell from a distance, but now that I was close, I felt it.
A tightness.
As if something were blocked.
If this was from her meridian disorder, why hadn’t others noticed?
Ah… could it be?
The Black Dragon Star Body.
That was the only real difference between me and others.
Then—could the Black Dragon Star Body sense the flow of Qi or blocked meridians?
I’d have to look into that later.
But judging by this stifling feeling, there was definitely something wrong with her.
That something being Three Yin Severance.
And if we waited for the illness to reveal itself naturally, it would already be too late.
Just then, an Attendant came running over from the distance.
I should meet the Department Chief first. I’d think about the rest afterward.
A little later—
I sat across from the Department Chief and Master in the reception room.
“It’s been a while.”
“You and I are both busy. It can’t be helped, can it? Hahaha.”
Hearing the Department Chief’s hearty laugh, I smiled sheepishly as well.
“So, what brings you here? Did we make some mistake?”
“Not at all.”
I waved my hand.
“I’m always satisfied with the Changin Escort Bureau’s work. I came because I recently turned twenty.”
“Oh! Already?”
“Yes.”
I took an invitation from my sleeve and held it out.
“So I wanted to invite you and the bureau’s members to my birthday banquet.”
The Department Chief accepted it with a pleased smile.
“Of course. You’re our future, after all. We must attend.”
“Sorry? The future?”
At my puzzled look, Master cleared his throat.
“Hem-hem. That’s how it turned out.”
“Ah…”
So Master had told him.
Well, since I handed over the Patriarch’s hidden funds, it would’ve been strange if he hadn’t.
“Thanks to that, we’ve been able to breathe a little easier. We’re very grateful.”
“That’s the Patriarch’s merit, not mine.”
As we chatted about various things, the conversation naturally turned toward Lady Ha.
“By the way, is it true that your brother has feelings for Escort Guard Ha?”
I’d been wondering how to bring it up, so I was grateful he asked first.
“Seems that way. Brother rarely cares about anything unless it really matters to him. But if even you know about it, then it’s real.”
“That’s good. Then… what do you think the Merchant Lord and his lady’s intentions would be?”
Ah. From his point of view, he’d have to ask.
Lady Ha was the daughter of an Escort Chief, nothing more.
“My parents don’t care about such things. And our family doesn’t arrange marriages for political gain.”
Even my eldest sister-in-law was the daughter of a low-ranking military officer.
By now, Father and Mother probably already knew.
They were likely just waiting for brother to speak first.
“That’s a relief, but…”
“I’m more worried about something else.”
“…?”
At my words, both the Department Chief and Master looked at me.
“It might sound strange, but I’d like Escort Guard Ha to get a pulse diagnosis.”
“A pulse diagnosis? Are you saying that child is unwell?”
“I can’t say for sure. But when I greeted her earlier, something about her caught my attention. I’d like to ask the Black Flute Physician to examine her.”
At that, the two men grew serious.
Good. That was enough of a lead.
I said farewell and left the Changin Escort Bureau.
Now it was time to visit the old man at the general store.
“You’re here?”
The old man sat in his chair, gazing outside, and greeted me as soon as I walked in.
His words could’ve sounded curt, but there was warmth in them.
I took out an invitation.
“I’m holding my birthday banquet. You’ll come, right?”
“Birthday banquet? Hasn’t your birthday already passed?”
“Yes. It has.”
So you do know when my birthday is.
“Then since you know, does that mean you’ve prepared a birthday present for me?”
“Have you ever prepared a birthday present for me?”
…
That’s true.
“How would I prepare one? I don’t even know when your birthday is.”
“Did you ask?”
No… I hadn’t.
“When is it? I’ll start preparing now.”
“Figure it out yourself.”
“Sorry?”
“If you can find out when my real birthday is, I’ll give you a fine artifact.”
“I’ll definitely find out.”
But he said “real birthday.”
So the one most people know must be fake…
“So are you coming to my banquet or not?”
He snatched the invitation from my hand.
“Aren’t you busy? Get going.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m going.”
I grinned. Still as roundabout as ever.
As I rose to leave, the old man spoke again.
“I hear you stirred up quite a storm again. That Namgoong brat—you buried him.”
“I didn’t do anything. He brought it on himself.”
He was arrested by imperial order.
“Why do you think someone who never cared about that sort of thing suddenly took an interest?”
“Sorry?”
“Don’t you think it’s because you were involved?”
“Ah…”
I scratched my cheek.
That might be true.
“So in the end, you’re the one who buried that Namgoong brat.”
I guess that’s how it worked out.
But his tone had a faint edge to it.
“Do you dislike the Namgoong Clan?”
He didn’t answer.
But I felt like I’d heard the answer anyway.
“Ahem, I’ll be going. See you at the banquet.”
“Go or don’t.”
Yes, yes.
I chuckled and left the general store.
.
.
.
I set my birthday banquet for the last day of the eleventh month.
Some guests would be coming from far away, so I allowed some leeway.
And five days before the banquet.
After finishing my morning breathing and Qi circulation, Master entered my detached quarters.
“You’re here?”
“Yes.”
But Master’s expression wasn’t good.
Don’t tell me—
“My father-in-law came yesterday. And as the Department Chief suggested, we asked him to examine Su-min’s pulse.”
Master paused, then looked at me closely.
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“How did you know about Su-min’s condition? What made you ask my father-in-law to take her pulse?”
“What condition does she have?”
With a heavy expression, Master replied.
“Three Yin Meridian Severance.”
“But that’s…”
“Right. Usually, severed meridians show outwardly. But in Su-min’s case, it’s a rare hidden Three Yin Meridian Severance. By the time symptoms appear, it would have been too late.”
Master sighed deeply.
“How did you sense it?”
“To be honest, when I greeted Escort Guard Ha yesterday, I felt a strange tightness. As if something was completely blocked. So I suspected she wasn’t in good shape.”
“…”
“But since she looked healthy, I just suggested a check-up. A precaution, really.”
“And your constitution is… that one, right?”
“If it’s because of that, maybe I could sense what others couldn’t.”
“That would explain it.”
He nodded, seemingly convinced.
“In any case, it’s fortunate we found it early. Though I’m sure Escort Chief Ha is devastated.”
“Of course. But it’s lucky it can be treated.”
“As expected of the Black Flute Physician.”
“But it’s not all settled yet. We need a high-grade Yang Qi Elixir for the treatment.”
At that, I grinned.
If that’s all, then there’s no problem.
–TL Notes–
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