Fake Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun flinched at my words.
Right then, someone asked,
“Do you have any proof this person is a fake?”
Well, I realized he was fake because I can sense Qi.
But the others hadn’t trained their martial arts to that level, so they had no way to know.
On top of that, his disguise was so exquisite that even a peak warrior would have missed it without carefully studying him.
I also had a pretty good idea why he chose Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun as his target.
Guangjun Merchant Group did business all the way out in distant Liaoning.
So there weren’t many people here who could feel something was off.
His parents were here, of course, but they were busy talking with the other Merchant Lords and didn’t have the leisure to notice.
Then what about the escort guards, you ask?
Escort guards weren’t allowed inside this banquet hall. That was the unspoken rule.
Instead, the host’s hired guards stood in various spots.
Either way, I did have at least enough proof to make everyone admit he was a fake.
I wasn’t reckless enough to pull something like this without thinking that far ahead.
“Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun already heard the secret to guarding the silver plaque from me. So shouldn’t something else be coming out of his mouth instead of asking about that secret again?”
“I-I only said that to go along with the mood…”
“Fine, let’s say we let that slide. But aren’t your hands a little too smooth? You supposedly rode all the way here from the far north with reins in your hands. Your hands should be rough and calloused.”
Even if you wrapped them in cloth to protect them, there was a limit.
“Did you really think I’d fall for that? I obviously came by carriage, so of cou—”
Guangjun Merchant Lord, who had been watching us with his brows deeply furrowed, shouted in a voice full of rage.
“What carriage! Yun rode a horse here!”
“…!”
Still, that disguise was so elaborate that even his father didn’t notice…
That skill was almost on Chun-il’s level.
But their preliminary research was lacking.
Guangjun Merchant Group’s Merchant Lord Bok Im-gil glared at the despicable man wearing his son’s face.
From that one remark, he had realized this man was not his son.
Bok Yun suffered badly from carriage sickness and almost never rode in one.
Very few people knew that.
If this man wasn’t his son, then where in the world was his real son right now?
The moment that thought hit him, his blood felt like it froze.
He spoke to Sebin Merchant Group’s Merchant Lord In Gang-su, who hosted this banquet.
“Please allow escort guards to enter.”
“Of course.”
Bok Im-gil immediately called for the escort guards waiting outside.
“Restrain this man right now and rip that disgusting face off him!”
“Yes, sir!”
They tied up fake Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun and tore the human-skin mask from his face.
Riiip-!
They peeled it off without a shred of mercy. Some blood flowed, but nobody cared.
As expected, the face that appeared underneath was completely different.
“What did you do to my son?”
At Bok Im-gil’s voice, as sharp as a winter wind, the man trembled and stammered.
“I-I didn’t kill him! I just tied him up… and threw him in a warehouse.”
“What!”
Thud-!
“Gah!”
Bok Im-gil swung his fist at him, and the man rolled across the floor.
Watching that with cold eyes, Bok Im-gil ordered the escort guards,
“To the warehouse!”
“Yes!”
But he suddenly felt that someone was missing.
Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho, who had been right beside him just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.
If not for him, Bok Im-gil would never have realized that this man was imitating his son.
He felt ashamed that he had glared at Eun Seo-ho, thinking his son might get hurt because of him.
“Where is Young Master Eun?”
“He headed that way a little while ago.”
I was already running toward the warehouse.
I had visited this place several times even in my previous life, so I knew its layout inside and out.
Because of that, I knew there was only one place here where someone could hide Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun: the warehouse.
Of course, it would have been troublesome to handle everything alone, so I decided to ask Deputy Merchant Lord Sa Gang for help, and he readily agreed.
He was Hongryeon Merchant Group’s Deputy Merchant Lord, from the group that supplied weapons to the imperial family.
And anyone who forged weapons needed a deep understanding of weapons.
The best way to understand weapons was to learn martial arts.
He practiced martial arts as well and was so tight-lipped that people called him taciturn.
I had a rough idea of what state Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun would be in, which was why I asked Sa Gang for help.
Judging from how I could feel Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s Qi more clearly the closer we got to the warehouse, I had guessed correctly.
The warehouse door was locked tight with a padlock, and Deputy Merchant Lord Sa Gang kicked the door straight in.
Bang-!
The door shattered in one blow.
Watching that, I could tell Sa Gang had considerable strength.
Come to think of it, I had heard that anyone who wanted to inherit Hongryeon Merchant Group had to work as a blacksmith for more than ten years and earn the blacksmiths’ recognition.
“Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun! Are you in here?”
“Mmph! Mmmph!”
At that moment, I heard someone groaning, and I immediately ran toward the sound.
“…”
I soon found Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun, but the sight was far from pleasant.
His wrists and ankles were tied to a pillar, a gag was jammed in his mouth, and he wore nothing but his underclothes.
The moment I saw him, anger surged up in me all over again.
‘How dare they turn my friend into this?’
I forced my anger down, pulled out my dagger, cut the ropes, and freed him.
“Phew. Thank you for rescuing me.”
“What in the world happened…”
“I was standing by the railing for a moment… and it seems I blacked out. When I came to, I was here.”
“Can you stand?”
He pushed himself up, tested his arms and legs, then nodded.
“Fortunately, I don’t think I’m hurt anywhere.”
Relieved, I let out a long breath and took off my outer robe to drape it over him.
Right then, I heard Guangjun Merchant Lord’s voice outside.
“Yun! Where are you? Yun!”
“Father, I’m right here!”
At that shout, Guangjun Merchant Lord and his escort guards rushed into the warehouse.
Luckily, we weren’t too late.
And I had taken care of things before the escort guards saw him in such an embarrassing state.
“Yun!”
He hugged his son and let out a heavy sigh of relief.
“Forgive your father for seeing that imposter and thinking he was you.”
“What? An imposter? What are you talking about?”
Sebin’s Merchant Lord was the one who explained what had happened to the bewildered Bok Yun.
As the host of this banquet, he had followed Guangjun Merchant Lord inside to confirm Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s safety.
“First, as the host, I want to apologize for this disgraceful incident. To explain, someone wearing your face pretended to be you. Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho over here was the one who caught it.”
“Ah…”
“If not for Deputy Merchant Lord Eun, you would have suffered much longer.”
Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun cupped his fists toward me.
“Thank you so much. How could I ever repay this favor…”
“There’s no need to call it a favor. Aren’t we friends? When a friend steps up for a friend, nobody calls that a debt.”
“Deputy Merchant Lord Eun…”
Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun looked at me with eyes full of emotion.
“Still, I’m worried this Hundred Great Merchant Groups Gathering will end up as a bad memory for you because of this.”
At my words, he shook his head.
“No. Because of this, I gained another big lesson.”
His eyes were firm as he said it.
Since Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun said so, that was a relief, but…
“Anyway, why did that man pull something like this?”
Sebin’s Merchant Lord answered with a wry smile.
“He said he was trying to sweep up all the silver plaques this time.”
“…”
I had nothing to say to that.
The silver plaques were just a bit of entertainment for the Hundred Great Merchant Groups Gathering, but even games had lines you didn’t cross.
He didn’t just cross that line; he trampled all over it.
“The game about guarding the silver plaques only gives amnesty for stealing silver plaques. He forgot that nothing else gets forgiven.”
Sebin’s Merchant Lord spoke in a flat tone.
“It seems those people looked down on us merchants.”
He was chuckling on the surface, but his eyes were cold and sharp.
Merchants sometimes look like they don’t have any pride at all, but in truth, they have stronger pride than anyone. They just choose different things to stake that pride on.
And that imposter had stepped right on Sebin’s Merchant Lord’s pride. This incident happened at a banquet he hosted.
That man was in serious trouble now.
I just hoped they would leave a share for me.
I wouldn’t feel satisfied unless I made him pay myself for what he did to my friend.
Let me say it again: I don’t have a gentle personality.
“Young master! Are you here? I brought the clothes just like you ordered!”
Before coming here, I had sent Palgap a voice transmission with a request.
If the imposter was wearing Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s clothes, that meant Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s clothes had been stripped off him.
Thankfully, the inn was close by. Palgap held a bundle in both hands, panting for breath.
“Here it is.”
“Thanks.”
I took the bundle and handed it to Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun.
“I had him bring one of my outfits. This gathering is an important one for us merchants, isn’t it? For now, you should wear this and go back to the meeting.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m truly grateful, Deputy Merchant Lord Eun.”
Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun and his father, Guangjun Merchant Lord, were both deeply grateful to me.
They had come all the way from that distant Liaoning region for this Hundred Great Merchant Groups Gathering.
Of course, things like the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering existed too, but for merchants, this gathering mattered most.
It would have been a waste to return to their lodgings over something like this.
Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun put on my clothes.
I hadn’t worn this particular outfit yet, but since it had been one of my Students for today, it was luxurious and flashy.
In other words, it was more than good enough not to lose face on an occasion like this.
On top of that, it fit him well.
“How is it?”
“Is it really alright for you to lend me such nice clothes?”
“Yes.”
The outfit was far more splendid than the one he had worn earlier.
It suited him nicely.
.
.
.
A little later.
We returned to the banquet hall.
When my father walked over to me, Guangjun Merchant Lord cupped his fists toward him.
“I received a great favor from Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho.”
“Ahem. Hearing that Seo-ho was of help makes me as his father very pleased.”
“I won’t forget this favor.”
As I watched the two men exchange greetings, Deputy Merchant Lord Han Baek-geon waved me over from the other side.
I headed that way together with Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun and Deputy Merchant Lord Sa Gang.
“I’m glad you came back safely. Nothing serious happened, I hope?”
Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun smiled and nodded.
“Thanks to Deputy Merchant Lord Eun, I’m fine.”
“I was scared out of my wits earlier!”
While we talked, the others also walked over to us.
“I still can’t believe what happened… Are you really alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“No matter how tempting the silver plaques are, this is too much… tch tch.”
It suddenly hit me that I couldn’t see the imposter anywhere.
“Where is he?”
“Ah, our merchant group’s escort guards dragged him away.”
The one who answered was Young Master In, the Deputy Merchant Lord’s son from Sebin Merchant Group.
He had been designated as the next-next Merchant Lord in line, and his talent for business was impressive, though still not on his grandfather’s or father’s level.
“Is that so?”
“From the look of things, I doubt we’ll be having the silver plaque game this time.”
“That seems likely.”
Stealing silver plaques in a situation like this?
If someone still tried, that kind of nerve would almost be impressive.
“Right now they’re interrogating his accomplices.”
True… what happened to Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun was not something one person could pull off.
Getting him into the warehouse without any of the guards or anyone else noticing meant they had to move in an organized way.
There had to be several accomplices.
Of course, quite a few people here came with their eyes on the silver plaques, but that didn’t mean all of them were that imposter’s accomplices.
Ah. Now that I thought about it, Chun-il had said he came to Luoyang with Father, didn’t he?
.
.
.
The gathering ended.
Sebin’s Merchant Lord officially declared the meeting over, and people began to leave one by one.
“Seo-ho, let’s head back as well.”
“Yes, Father.”
I said goodbye to the others and returned to the inn with my parents.
On the way back, I carefully spoke to Father.
“Father, I want to meet Chun-il.”
“Hang a piece of indigo cloth out the inn window. He’ll come. Is this because of what happened today?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“I can’t just let someone who messed with my friend walk away, can I?”
Mother looked at me and nodded.
“I also think they crossed the line badly this time. So if you’re going to act, make sure you do it properly.”
I hadn’t expected Mother to say that.
Come to think of it, when I saved Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun from that assassin last time, he sent us an enormous number of fine horses as thanks.
That must have been what created a friendship between Mother and Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun’s mother.
Well…
Mother had grown up in a martial family.
And in the harsh lands around Liaoning, women also rode horses and shot bows.
So the two of them probably got along very well.
Anyway, since Mother said that as well, I couldn’t help but see this through properly.
–TL Notes–
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