At my words, Father asked again.
“A secret pact?”
“Here are the details.”
I pulled out the contract I’d made with Chieftain Jang Dae-su and handed it to him. Father took it and read it through.
“…”
While reading, Father’s eyes widened sharply as he asked,
“Is this true?”
“Yes.”
“You’re telling me there’s really Snowmist Grass, White Tiger Bellflower, and Snow Ginseng on Odon Mountain?”
“That’s correct.”
I took a small paper envelope from my sleeve and held it out.
“To be certain, I brought samples.”
Pavilion Lord Yeon quickly picked up the envelope I placed on the table and examined the spiritual herb specimens inside.
Her hands trembled.
“Th-this is… this is really a spiritual herb…”
Any merchant group among the top one hundred would have specialized products they focused on.
And our current primary product line was medicinal herbs.
That’s why I’d been able to obtain the spiritual herbs that were used to treat my illness in my previous life.
Children of the Eunhae Merchant Group received a systematic education in medicinal herbs from a young age.
Still, identifying a spiritual herb without having seen one was no easy task.
Father seemed to wonder the same and asked,
“But these herbs haven’t come into the group for the past ten years. How did you recognize them?”
“If you remember your studies well, it’s not that difficult to identify them.”
I replied with a smile, and although Father still looked doubtful, he let it go.
“But what would you have done if they weren’t spiritual herbs and you’d already made that pact?”
He began to scold me.
I had expected that and prepared my answer.
“If someone else discovered them first, we could’ve lost the opportunity. I judged it necessary to secure priority.”
“That’s not the issue. What if Chieftain Jang used it to pressure the group?”
“Oh, that’s not a problem.”
“…?”
“If you look at the fifth line, there’s a clause about that. It says, ‘Neither party shall place blame in the event of an unavoidable reason making the transaction impossible.’”
I continued,
“I asked him if it was alright even if the herbs turned out to be fakes, and he gave a clear yes. I made sure that was stated in the contract.”
“Ah… so that’s what that clause is for.”
“Exactly.”
I included that clause to prepare for criticism from Father and the others, but I had no doubt the herbs on Odon Mountain were real.
Pavilion Lord Yeon had just confirmed it.
“This deal was to be made in secret. So I ask that everyone keep that in mind.”
“The sweeter something is, the more bugs it attracts.”
The only reason this could be handled secretly even as a spiritual herb transaction was because it involved spiritual herbs.
Sources of spiritual herbs and spiritual elixirs were usually kept confidential, and everyone in the trade accepted that as an unspoken rule.
“Is there anything else to report?”
At Father’s question, I shook my head.
“No, sir.”
“Then rise. We’ve got more to discuss amongst ourselves.”
Eunwol Pavilion.
After Eun Seo-ho left, Eun Gil-sang let out a dry laugh.
“I thought he just had merchant talent, but it seems I was wrong. The kid’s got luck too. On his very first escort mission, he came back with a treasure.”
To that, External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong spoke.
“That’s true, but talent and luck alone wouldn’t have done it. According to reports from Squad Leader Jeong Chung and the others, the Young Master is incredibly clever. Even if the Jinkyeon Merchant Group brought it on themselves, drawing them into a trap and taking them down was no small feat.”
“And he’s got guts too.”
Pavilion Lord Yeon Dami of the Finance Pavilion chimed in.
In her hand was the sample of spiritual herbs Eun Seo-ho had brought back.
“To make such a proposal to Chieftain Jang of Odon Mountain!”
“A true merchant never backs down in the face of profit.”
At Go Il-pyeong’s words, everyone nodded.
“However…”
Then Pavilion Lord Jeok Byeong-cheol of the Operations Pavilion spoke.
“Why did the Young Master make that artisan his personal subordinate?”
“Well, he hadn’t gotten official permission from the group yet, so he probably had no choice. It was an urgent situation.”
At Go Il-pyeong’s explanation, Jeok Byeong-cheol smiled and continued,
“But the Young Master never once said he’d turn that subordinate over to the group. It’s like that was his plan from the beginning.”
At that, Yeon Dami smirked.
“You’ve got sharp eyes, sir.”
“Then it’s true?”
Go Il-pyeong asked, and she nodded.
“Just as you said. That’s why I had to negotiate not with the artisan, but with the Young Master.”
“Must’ve been tough for him.”
Yu So-ak said.
“Negotiating with you, of all people.”
“…It was tough.”
But Yeon Dami’s expression was strange.
“I mean I was the one who had a hard time.”
“What?”
“He’s not normal. He’s never learned how to negotiate, but it’s clear—he’s a natural.”
“Ho ho, if he’s that good, then the group’s truly blessed.”
“Indeed. Ho ho ho.”
As everyone laughed, Jeok Byeong-cheol’s eyes gleamed.
He was curious about what Eun Seo-ho’s true intentions were.
That evening.
Daaang— Daaang— Daaang—
Ten chimes rang out.
It was the signal marking the beginning of the You hour (5–7 p.m.) and also the end of the workday.
Tap.
I set my brush down and said,
“Chief Administrator. It’s time for me to leave.”
He looked disappointed, but when I accepted his offer to serve as his assistant, I’d attached conditions.
So he had no choice but to nod.
“You may leave.”
Thanks to working hard all day, the mountain of tasks had shrunk considerably.
As I stood, I said to Chief Administrator Yu,
“You should take care not to overwork yourself either. Leaving on time is better for your health.”
“I’d like to, but there’s still too much work…”
While saying that, he let out an awkward cough. Anyone could see the workload had dropped significantly.
“Hmm, very well.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I bowed with a martial gesture and immediately headed to my quarters.
“You’re back, Young Master?”
“Yeah, I’m back.”
“But did you really come back from work?”
At Palgap’s question, I flopped onto the bed and replied,
“Yeah.”
“You’ve had a hard day, Young Master. But still, Chief Administrator Yu was too much. Making you work before you’d even shaken off the fatigue from travel.”
“I’m just too capable for my own good.”
In truth, working before fully recovering from travel fatigue wasn’t all that harsh on me.
Back before I lost my life, going straight back to the office after returning from an escort mission had been the norm.
I just wanted to rest while I still could.
Once I officially became the Young Pavilion Lord, I wouldn’t get to enjoy the luxury of taking time off after returning from the road.
They say some people quit their jobs to open a small shop so they could relax, only to find themselves even busier.
So I needed to rest now, before I got to that point.
Later, even if I wanted to rest, I wouldn’t be able to.
“What should we do about dinner?”
“How about with Artisan Gong’s family?”
“I’ll make the arrangements, then.”
At the sound of the bell marking the Mao hour (5–7 a.m.), I got up.
I cycled my Qi and breathing, then changed clothes.
During the escort mission, I had no choice but to train at night, but now that my schedule had returned to normal, I could go back to morning martial arts practice.
When I opened the door, Master entered the yard in front of my quarters, right on time.
“I greet you, Master.”
I gave a martial bow, and he returned the gesture.
He always said such formalities weren’t necessary, yet still returned them.
“Did you rest at all after the escort mission yesterday?”
At Master’s question, I gave a wry smile.
“I worked.”
“…I see.”
He looked mildly sympathetic, but then spoke with firm conviction.
“But skipping or cutting back on training just because you’re tired isn’t wise. Humans aren’t that fragile. If you push through, you’ll grow that much stronger.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Just as I expected.
“Then let’s begin your training.”
“Yes.”
Training began with running.
With sandbags strapped to my body, I ran laps around the yard.
The yard in front of my quarters was fairly large, so just running laps around it had me gasping for air.
“Phew, phew, so now we do the horse stance?”
At my question, Master shook his head.
“No.”
“…?”
“You’ll train that at night from now on. You’re capable of building strength on your own without my guidance.”
He continued,
“Starting today, I’ll be teaching you sword techniques.”
“Sword techniques… sir?”
“Yes.”
Master smiled.
“You’ve built a solid enough foundation to begin learning real martial arts.”
Inside, I cheered.
That meant the day I could openly wield martial arts wasn’t far off.
“Starting today, you’ll learn the True Snow Twelve Form Sword (眞雪十二式劍法). It’s a sword technique inspired by the nature of snow. As your cultivation deepens, you’ll come to understand just how extraordinary this sword art truly is.”
“Just hearing the name, I think I already get it.”
I smiled and replied.
“It’s probably a sword technique based on the heaviness and lightness of snow, the flurry of snowflakes in a storm, and the changing motion of snow being swept by wind.”
At my words, Master’s eyes widened.
“Amazing. That’s exactly right. How did you know?”
How else?
Because I learned it in my past life.
“You said it was based on the nature of snow. And snow has more than one nature, doesn’t it?”
“You’re sharp.”
Master looked very pleased.
“In addition, you’ll also be learning footwork.”
“Footwork… as in how to walk?”
Of course I knew what footwork was.
I’d trained in footwork during my past life too.
But if I acted too knowledgeable, it’d seem suspicious—so I asked on purpose.
“It’s more accurate to say it’s the method of movement. Whether you wield a sword, a saber, or your fists, combat requires adapting your movements to your opponent.”
“Right.”
“Footwork teaches you to move efficiently. And its usefulness in actual combat is immense. That’s why you must master it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The footwork I’ll teach you is called the No-Trace Step (無痕步法). It’s one of our clan’s martial arts. Once you master it, you’ll be able to walk across freshly fallen snow without leaving a single footprint.”
In other words, it’s a step art that allows you to reach the realm of ‘treading snow without leaving a trace (踏雪無痕).’
Not leaving footprints was far more useful than one might think.
Even in my past life, I’d reaped many benefits from this footwork.
“Let’s start by learning how to handle a sword.”
.
.
.
Five days passed.
I sighed as I looked down at my palms.
They were full of blisters.
Of course they were.
All morning, I’d been holding a wooden sword and repeating the basic stances a hundred times each.
There were nine basic sword stances in total.
Which meant I swung the sword nine hundred times.
Every day.
Sticking to the basics was Master’s belief—and his teaching philosophy.
So my hands ended up covered in blisters every day.
But give it about a month, and calluses would start to form.
I knew from experience.
The time was drawing near when I could start using martial arts more freely.
But that didn’t mean I could reveal my true strength.
I still needed to fool the Baekcheon Merchant Group and the Murim Alliance if I wanted to keep my freedom of movement.
.
.
.
While I was working at the Finance Pavilion, I was summoned to the Eunwol Pavilion and went inside.
It seemed no one else had arrived yet. I was alone.
I sat in a chair at the long table.
Sitting like that, memories of my past life came flooding back. Back then, my seat was to the left of Elder Brother Jeong-ho’s at the head of the table.
And in this room, meetings involving tens of thousands of silver taels were held daily.
Yet now…
Even though I lived it myself, it all felt like a dream.
I let out a sigh at the thought of having to walk the same path again to reach the top three merchant groups in the world.
Of course, there were joyful days.
But running a merchant group wasn’t filled with joy alone.
Still, with the memories of my past life, I could probably move much faster this time around.
Just then, the door opened and someone entered.
I immediately rose from my seat.
–TL Notes–
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