While we were staying in Luoyang, the night visitor never showed up.
Instead, Palgap brought me an amusing bit of news.
“While I was out in the marketplace, I picked up an interesting story, you know.”
“Hm? What kind of story?”
“They say they found the bodies of a dozen or so people all together to the east of Luoyang, you know.”
“What?”
“After they checked the bodies, turns out they were an assassin group that had been a real headache in Henan, you know. According to the county office’s investigation, they killed each other in some internal fight and wiped themselves out. But the thing is, you know…”
Palgap laughed.
“They say that assassin group was called Hidden Forest.”
“…”
Wait, Hidden Forest was exactly the group that assassin who came after Young Hero Peng admitted belonging to, wasn’t it?
And he said their base was somewhere east of Luoyang.
Yeah, I could pretty much guess what had gone down.
I figured my “reward strategy” would work, but I didn’t think it would work this well.
“No wonder the night visitor never showed…”
Well, not like it’s bad news. I should probably be happy.
Around that time.
Peng Gang-un was sitting in his room at the inn they had taken in Luoyang, looking anxious.
“Please, try not to be so tense.”
At his attendant’s words, Peng Gang-un let out a sigh and replied,
“Honestly, I’m still not sure about this. I walked into crowded Luoyang on my own two feet!”
“Don’t worry. Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho will get us back to the main family safely. He’s the one who raised the Eunhae Merchant Group to where it is now.”
“…”
“Besides, a true merchant never backs down in front of a deal. We’ve made a deal with him, so I’m sure we’ll be safe.”
“Like you said, not heading straight for the clan, brushing off the escorts the family sent and coming to see Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho instead… was that really the right move?”
“Of course. You did the right thing. After meeting him yourself and talking with him, didn’t you feel anything?”
At the attendant’s question, Peng Gang-un thought back to when he’d spoken with Eun Seo-ho.
“Now that you mention it… I strangely felt relaxed the whole time I was talking with him. And I started to trust him. But after everything I’ve been through, this really isn’t a situation where I can afford to trust someone so easily, is it? Still…”
He shook his head and continued,
“Putting up three thousand silver taels for me! I honestly never expected that. The guts to stake that kind of fortune without hesitation… that shocked me too…”
“They say you can’t even begin to guess what goes on in a genius’s head. Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho is no ordinary person. So just trust him and wait calmly.”
Just then—
“Hello, are you inside?”
It was Eun Seo-ho’s voice.
“Ah, please come in.”
At the same time, both of them tensed up. Someone else could walk in with him.
In answer to his reply, the door opened and a beautiful face appeared. Features so handsome people called him a Handsome Young Hero.
No human-skin mask, no matter how exquisitely made, could fake that face.
“Welcome.”
“Actually, I came because there’s something I want to tell you.”
“Yes.”
“My attendant went out to the marketplace and said he heard an interesting story.”
Smiling, Eun Seo-ho relayed the story he’d heard from Palgap.
When he finished, Peng Gang-un stammered in disbelief,
“S-so you’re saying… they wiped each other out?”
“Yes. Well, it’s obvious even without seeing it. You think those people have comradeship? They were probably thinking about selling out the others and taking the three thousand silver taels all for themselves. And for once, every single one of them had the exact same idea.”
“…”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Yes, you’re right. It really is a good thing.”
Only then did Peng Gang-un manage to resolve one of his questions.
Why Eun Seo-ho had insisted they head for busy, crowded Luoyang.
It was to tell as many people as possible about the reward and let the story spread.
“But your expression still looks a little unsettled.”
Peng Gang-un hesitated for a moment, then spoke up.
“To be honest, yes. There’s one thing I just can’t understand.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you stake such a huge sum for my sake? Even if only ten people came forward, that’s thirty thousand silver taels.”
“Ah… that.”
At Peng Gang-un’s question, Eun Seo-ho answered calmly,
“When it comes to investing, you have to be bold.”
“Sorry?”
“Of course, you don’t throw money around like that when you’re not sure. But if you are sure, you have to spend boldly. If you don’t, you end up with nothing.”
“So what you’re saying… is…”
“It means I’m sure about you, Young Hero Peng.”
At those words, Peng Gang-un was left speechless.
‘He trusts me this much, and I couldn’t bring myself to trust Deputy Merchant Lord Eun.’
He suddenly felt ashamed of himself.
I left Young Hero Peng’s room.
Tomorrow, we would be leaving Luoyang.
Because the Murim Alliance Leader sent people to invite us to dinner, our schedule had been pushed back a little.
Honestly, I saw that coming too.
The Alliance Leader sent a guard squad to escort us. With the Alliance Leader’s guards watching over us, what kind of crazy assassin would dare come for us?
If they did, they’d instantly become a public enemy of the entire martial world with nowhere left to stand.
Thanks to that, we got a very nice meal out of it.
Still, was Young Hero Peng really moved by just three thousand silver taels?
What I told him earlier was both the truth and my conviction.
If you’re sure about something, you have to invest boldly. Of course, getting to that certainty means going through the hard work of gathering mountains of information.
I wonder if Young Hero Peng knows.
That my investment hasn’t even really started yet.
The next day, we left the inn.
There wasn’t much left until Hebei. Of course, we still had a bit more to go before reaching Beijing, where the Hebei Peng Clan was based.
Man, no matter how many times I think about it, this empire really is ridiculously big.
But thanks to the effect of that three-thousand-tael reward I threw out there, the trip to Beijing was nice and peaceful.
.
.
.
How many days had it been since we left Luoyang and crossed into Hebei?
We finally arrived in Beijing.
“There’s an inn around here I know very well. It’d be best if we stayed there for a bit.”
“Understood.”
“And from here on out is the most dangerous part. The closer Young Hero Peng gets to the Peng Clan, the more they won’t care what methods they use.”
At my words, Young Hero Peng and his attendant both nodded.
They knew it too.
That the other side couldn’t drag things out any longer.
The moment Young Hero Peng set foot in the Peng Clan estate, the Young Clan Lord’s seat would pass to him, so they’d try anything they could to remove him before that happened.
Even if the method carried serious risk.
Of course, I had no intention of holding back on methods either.
Beijing might be the Hebei Peng Clan’s home ground, but it was also my stage.
I handed a letter I’d prepared in advance to Escort Guard Lee Pil.
“Escort Guard Lee Pil.”
“Yes.”
“Please deliver this.”
“Understood.”
Soon after, we arrived at an inn.
“Is this inn really all right? If we end up causing any harm to this place because of us…”
Seriously, what a decent person.
I grinned and said,
“It’s fine. There won’t be anything you need to worry about.”
Because this wasn’t the ordinary inn Young Hero Peng thought it was.
The Hebei Peng Clan.
“What? That brat arrived in Beijing?”
“Y-yes. It looks like he’ll reach the main estate soon.”
Clang!
The expensive teacup in the hand of Peng Mun, the Peng Clan’s Young Clan Lord, shattered.
“Dammit! Just how badly did those bastards screw up for that brat to set foot in Beijing in one piece?”
“W-well, the thing is…”
“What?”
“Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group who’s traveling with him… put up a reward.”
“A reward? How much could he possibly have offered?”
“Three thousand silver taels…”
“Gah!”
The words shocked him so much he choked.
“Hack, hack!”
“A-are you all right?”
Barely calming himself, he burst out,
“What, does that bastard have money rotting away somewhere? Why would he pull a stunt like that?”
“So the assassin groups we hired either pulled back, or went after that reward and ended up wiping each other out.”
“Damn it!”
He ground his teeth.
‘Do you know what I went through to get this Young Clan Lord’s seat!’
He was born the clan’s eldest son, but the Young Clan Lord position had never been his to begin with.
The clan rule was that the strong became Clan Lord.
His father, the current Clan Lord, had declared, “It’s because we abandoned that rule that our main family is being pushed aside by the Hwangbo Clan! From now on, I’m putting that principle back in place!”
And so the designated Young Clan Lord had been the second of his seven children, Peng Seong.
Peng Mun could not accept that quietly.
This clan was his. He would never let it be taken away.
Even if the one taking it was his own younger brother from the same mother!
So he had finally succeeded in driving the second son out.
His father hadn’t been pleased with how it happened, but for the sake of the clan’s stability, he’d had no choice but to name Peng Mun the Young Clan Lord.
The other siblings were afraid of him and didn’t dare step forward.
But then something completely unexpected happened.
The Clan Lord discovered exceptional martial talent in Peng Gang-un, the eldest son of one of his younger brothers, Peng Mok, and suddenly made a declaration.
“The main family is a place where the strong ought to become Clan Lord. And I see hope in you.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you want to become Clan Lord?”
“If I am given the chance, I won’t refuse.”
“Good. A man should have that kind of spirit. Here’s what we’ll do. Enter the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering. If you win there, I’ll make you the Young Clan Lord.”
“Sir? But the Young Clan Lord is Uncle…”
“If the Young Clan Lord doesn’t have what it takes, we replace him.”
“…!”
“It’s for the clan. If that boy is truly a member of the Peng Clan, he’ll step down on his own.”
Those words were still etched clearly in his mind. And his father was a man who did exactly what he said.
So he’d tried to have Peng Gang-un killed, but the brat stubbornly survived and ended up winning this Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering.
The Hebei Peng Clan’s Clan Lord had been delighted. Standing right next to him, Peng Mun had definitely heard it.
His father had muttered, “A promise is a promise…”
He rose to his feet.
“Where is that brat right now?”
“He’s staying at Sepung Inn.”
“Sepung Inn, huh…”
He grabbed the saber hanging on his wall and said,
“Gather the men. We’re out of time. I’ll have to finish this myself.”
“Understood.”
He could no longer leave this in anyone else’s hands.
Even if his father found out he’d killed his own nephew, he didn’t care.
‘You’re the one who brought this on, Father.’
A little while later, he headed for Sepung Inn with the warriors under his command.
“Is that the place?”
“Yes, that’s it. But what exactly are you planning to do?”
“Everyone in there dies.”
“S-sir?”
“And then we just spread a rumor that the Slaughter Demon showed up and did it.”
“T-that is…”
“Why? You scared?”
“No. I’ve already decided to follow my lord, what would I be afraid of? It’s just…”
“What is it?”
“Something about this just feels off…”
“You’re imagining things.”
Peng Mun brushed off his subordinate’s concern.
Then he gripped his saber tight and charged toward Sepung Inn.
Crash-!
They smashed the door in one blow and rushed inside—only to freeze in shock. It was as if their attack had been predicted; armed men were already waiting to greet them.
And then…
“Dammit! Young Clan Lord! Are you out of your mind?”
A familiar-faced man inside shouted at him.
“Do you even know where you are, barging in here with weapons drawn?”
“U-uncle? Why are you here, Uncle?”
“We’re having a gathering.”
“Sir?”
“It’s an Embroidered Guard gathering.”
“…”
Just then, Peng Mun caught sight of a handsome man sitting off to one side.
The moment he saw that face, Peng Mun understood.
He should never have come here.
Watching the Embroidered Guard experts arrest the intruders, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Why would they pull such a reckless move?
The letter I’d sent through Escort Guard Lee Pil was addressed to Warrior Jin Yeong.
It said that, thanks to the Embroidered Guard warriors, I’d unintentionally ended up as a hero myself at this Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering, so I wanted to treat them to a big meal.
And the place I chose was Sepung Inn.
That inn was one of the Embroidered Guard’s secret safe houses.
Since it was Sepung Inn of all places, they’d gathered here without the slightest worry.
I might have set this whole situation up, but the one who completed it was the Young Clan Lord.
Still, I wondered how the Peng Clan’s Clan Lord would play this.
Love him or hate him, he was still his son. He’d pull some strings to get him out somehow.
I was expecting that much.
Even if they were a bit overshadowed because the current Emperor favored the Hwangbo Clan, plenty of Peng Clan members still served in the military.
The Clan Lord would be scrambling to deal with this, so it wouldn’t be impossible to have him tied to treason and sent away for good.
Unless the Emperor decided to start swinging his sword personally, anyway.
But the Emperor I knew would use this as a pretext to tighten the leash around the Peng Clan’s neck, not cut them down.
The real reason I planned all this was to buy time.
Time for Young Hero Peng to return safely to his clan, become Young Clan Lord, and build his own power base.
With things wrapped up nicely, I headed for Young Hero Peng’s room.
“You’re here.”
“Did you see?”
“Yes. I watched through the window.”
“Then get ready to leave. Let’s go take the Peng Clan.”
–TL Notes–
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