Peng Gang-un continued.
“In truth, I have an uncle who went missing a long time ago.”
A missing uncle?
I briefly recalled the family tree of the Peng Clan.
If I remembered right, long ago the current Clan Lord’s second son had left home.
And in my previous life, that man hadn’t returned until after the Clan Lord—Peng Gang-un’s grandfather—died and the eldest son, another of Peng’s uncles, took over as Clan Lord.
“Since I became an adult, I’ve been traveling all over the empire asking after him, but I’m just not good enough… so I haven’t found him.”
He bowed his head to me.
“Please, I’m asking you to find my uncle.”
I was a little puzzled.
Of course, it wasn’t strange to commission a merchant group to find a person or an item.
Lord Song had previously commissioned the Eunhae Merchant Group to find the Self-Dancing Doll for him.
There was no one who roamed every corner of the empire as actively as merchant groups like us.
Escort bureaus did something similar, but since their main work was guarding and escorting, they had a lot more restrictions than merchant groups.
But the person in front of me was one of the empire’s top rising talents, and he’d been wandering the empire for years.
If even he couldn’t find his uncle, could I really do it?
And then there were the other questions.
Why was he going through so much hardship just to track down an uncle?
And out of all the merchant groups out there, why come to me?
I decided to clear up those doubts first.
“Have you ever commissioned anyone else about this before?”
“No. This is the first time I’ve asked anyone for help.”
I tilted my head.
If he hadn’t gone to anyone else until now, why suddenly come to me?
This was something I needed answered right here and now.
“Before I accept your commission, there are a few things I need to ask.”
“Please, ask freely.”
I started with the most important one.
“Why me?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Eunhae Merchant Group is big, sure, but there are plenty of merchant groups larger than us. So why us of all people… and why come to me instead of my father, the Merchant Lord?”
If he had gone to my father, there’s no way Father wouldn’t have told me.
“If you don’t give me a clear answer to that, I’ll have no choice but to refuse your commission.”
At my words, Peng thought for a moment, then finally opened his mouth.
“Of course, I understand why Deputy Merchant Lord would ask that. The main reason I’m coming to you is… because you’re someone I can trust.”
He continued.
“At the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering, you risked your life to save people, didn’t you?”
“That was because my parents were there.”
“And I also heard that even though the two martial artists responsible for the incident were already sentenced to expulsion, you still knelt in front of the Murim Alliance’s elders and begged them to spare those two.”
“That was…”
“And recently, I had a chance to talk with Lady Zhuge. She told me that Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho is not only strong, but someone with deep loyalty.”
Peng looked straight at me.
“That’s why. Because, to me, loyalty matters more than anything else.”
“By loyalty, you mean…”
I met his eyes.
“You want me to keep it a secret that you’ve commissioned me to find your uncle, is that it?”
He nodded at my question.
“That’s right. In fact, no one in the Peng Clan can know that I’m searching for my uncle.”
I sighed inwardly.
“So that’s why you specifically came on my birthday. It gives you a reason to visit me.”
“Exactly.”
He nodded.
“And if the Merchant Lord or someone from The Eunhae Merchant Group goes to my clan, any discussion about support will most likely go the way the clan wants, not the way I want.”
So by coming personally under the pretext of celebrating my birthday, he’d gotten in ahead of them.
Wait, then does that mean he never went back to his clan from Luoyang?
“By the way, how did you even know when my birthday was…?”
“Lady Zhuge told me.”
“…”
I let out a small sigh.
“Anyway, why are you going this far to find your uncle? Judging by the fact you have to hide it from your clan, it sounds like they really don’t approve.”
“That’s…”
Peng smiled as he answered.
“I intend to become the next Clan Lord of the Peng Clan. So shouldn’t I show that I look after every member of the household?”
No, that was a lie.
He definitely had another reason.
If that was all, there’s no way he’d wander the entire empire alone for so many years.
Peng Gang-un was twenty-six right now.
By imperial law you were considered an adult at fifteen, but in most sizable clans, you weren’t truly seen as an adult until twenty.
The Eunhae Merchant Group also treated twenty as the age of adulthood.
Which meant he’d been wandering for six years.
Honestly, it made no sense to roam the empire for six whole years just for that reason.
And when he gave me that answer, his gaze had subtly slipped away. That alone told me it wasn’t his real reason for looking for his uncle.
But when he talked about becoming Clan Lord, his eyes had heated up a little. So he really did intend to become Clan Lord.
I’d lived through countless situations for six years and gotten good at reading and hiding people’s hearts, but he still couldn’t hide from me.
Should I dig a bit deeper?
I considered it for a moment, but Peng didn’t look like someone who’d open up easily.
He might even start avoiding me.
Or decide he’d misjudged me and walk out saying he was disappointed.
If that happened, I’d just be causing trouble for Lady Yu-ah Zhuge, who’d spoken well of me…
Well, I could figure out the rest later.
“You really do think a lot about your clan. But if you haven’t found him after searching this long, I’m not sure I’ll be able to.”
“I’m not saying you absolutely have to find him.”
He smiled and went on.
“I just want you to let me know if, while you’re traveling around, you happen to come across my uncle.”
“If it’s just that, then it’s not difficult. I’ll do it.”
“Honestly, I’d like to keep searching myself, but because I ended up winning the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering… there are a lot of people looking for me now. So I’ll be pretty busy for a while.”
In other words, since all eyes would be on him, he was passing the job to me.
I was drawing a lot of attention too after being treated like a hero this time, but compared to Peng, it was nothing.
“And there are things I need to do once I return to my clan as well.”
“So you’re heading back to Hubei now?”
“That’s the plan.”
I thought for a moment, then spoke.
“As it happens, I also have business in Beijing this time. Let’s travel together on the way.”
I continued.
“If I’m going to Beijing and still send you back alone, what will the Peng Clan think of us?”
At my words, Peng nodded.
“Understood. I can’t let a good person who accepted my commission get badmouthed.”
“And give me your uncle’s portrait and description.”
“Ah! I forgot to mention the most important part.”
He took a white piece of silk from inside his robes and unfolded it.
On it were a portrait sketch and a detailed description of the man’s features and build.
The moment I saw it, I realized just how important this uncle was to Peng.
Normally, these portraits were drawn on paper, but Peng had his drawn on silk.
Silk was expensive, but it was tough and durable, so people often recorded important things on it.
And this silk was clearly high grade.
Well, no wonder he’d been searching for six years.
Still, I said nothing and quietly studied the face drawn on the silk.
A very handsome face.
The description said he was around seven feet tall.
That was quite tall, but considering the Peng Clan’s tradition of large builds, seven feet wasn’t that surprising.
The Peng in front of me was about six and a half feet tall, but if my memories were right, once he was fully grown he reached around seven feet as well.
In other words, he was still growing even now.
One of the Peng Clan’s traits was that their height kept increasing until they were thirty. At an age when most people were already done growing, they were still getting taller!
I had no idea if that was because of some special Elixir or their clan’s martial arts.
He added an explanation.
“He was deeply skilled in palm techniques, but I heard his ‘Primordial Thunderclap Saber’ was truly first-rate.”
You heard…?
“So you’ve never actually met him?”
“That’s right. He ran away from home before I turned three.”
“Then this portrait…?”
“An Attendant who had served our clan for a long time drew it for me.”
“When did they draw it?”
“When I was about sixteen, I pestered them until they finally did.”
Which meant there could easily be mistakes in this portrait.
I asked him a few more detailed questions after that and listened to his answers.
“Alright. Then how much are you thinking of paying for this commission?”
At my question, he scratched his cheek.
“Isn’t that… usually proposed first by the one taking the commission?”
“How am I supposed to judge the value of this commission on my own?”
“You really are a merchant, after all…”
I didn’t deny my identity.
“Yeah. Before I’m a hero, I’m a merchant.”
“…”
A brief silence fell, and in the end, Peng was the one who spoke first.
“In the future, if I become Clan Lord, I’ll grant you one request, as long as it doesn’t threaten the clan’s survival.”
That’s offering something pretty hefty.
It just showed how important that uncle was to him.
“But how can you say with such certainty that you’ll become Clan Lord?”
“I fully intend to become Clan Lord, but if I somehow don’t… then I’ll give you the most valuable thing I have.”
The most valuable thing?
“The ‘Azure Thunder Elixir (碧雷丹)’. I’ll give you that.”
The Azure Thunder Elixir was a prized Elixir of the Peng Clan, a pill passed down only to the most outstanding rising talent of each generation.
But I shook my head.
“I’ll refuse that.”
“…What?”
“You said you’d give me your most valuable thing. That might be the most valuable item to you, but it isn’t to me. And I might find your uncle before you become Clan Lord.”
“Then what do you want…?”
“Young Master Peng.”
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you the most valuable thing to yourself? So if I find your uncle before you become Clan Lord, be my person for three years.”
He looked a little taken aback at my proposal.
Which was understandable.
I had just asked him to become mine for three years.
“This is a bit… surprising. Honestly, no one’s ever told me that I’m the most valuable thing I have…”
He scratched the back of his neck, then nodded.
“Alright. I’ll do it.”
“Then, shall we draw up a contract?”
And so Peng and I drafted a contract.
Once we were done, Peng clasped his fists toward me.
“It was a good deal. Then I’ll be…”
“Where are you going?”
“…Sorry?”
“Up until now, we’ve only talked about your personal commission. Isn’t it time we discussed what support you’ll be getting?”
.
.
.
After finishing my conversation with Peng, I went straight to see my father.
I needed to report about the support for Peng and the plan to return together.
“So you decided to support him with twenty gold taels every year?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“That’s not bad. By the way, what reason did he give for coming in person?”
“He said he didn’t want his support to be arranged according to his clan’s tastes.”
Inwardly, I apologized to my father.
I’m sorry, Father. I promised to keep the real reason a secret.
Fortunately, Father accepted that explanation.
“He’s more enterprising and sharp than I expected. Who would’ve thought the Peng Clan had such a talent.”
In truth, people had a saying about the Peng Clan.
They were muscle-brained idiots.
That reputation came from how rarely they produced clever descendants. But after seeing Peng, it felt more like they just never needed to use their heads.
When your clan protected you and your innate strength solved most problems, you didn’t have to think much.
“And we’ve agreed to return to Hubei together.”
“Good. If we sent him back alone, we’d be just begging to get badmouthed.”
Father smiled, clearly pleased.
“So that means it’s about time you headed for Beijing.”
“Yes. That’s how it turned out.”
“Then what about the two Escort Guards training with the Eunpoong Division right now…?”
“I’ll bring them back with me the next time I come. I’m planning to ask the External Chief Administrator to look after them until then.”
After finishing my report to Father, I returned to my annex.
Construction was in full swing beside it. They were building quarters for my Escort Guards.
It looked like my guard unit would keep growing, so we were making the place spacious from the start.
In my previous life, the scale of my Escort Guards kept increasing so much that we had to expand the building again and again.
Anyway, the building my guards stayed in could be paid for with the merchant group’s money.
Their overall living expenses, though, came out of my own.
“You’re back, Young Master.”
Palgap was grinning from ear to ear.
I’d raised his monthly pay today. And in the end, I’d even given Geumryeong one silver tael.
Geumryeong had been sulking a little.
Seriously. My heart really is too soft.
–TL Notes–
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