I gave an awkward laugh and spoke.
“Ha ha ha. You’re really going too far with the joke.”
“Not a joke.”
Yeon Ju-hyeok answered like that, his face deadly serious.
“With today’s guidance, I’m sure of it. I’ve never had a master who truly does this much for me and worries about me like you do.”
“You already have a master from Mount Heng Sect, don’t you?”
“To be honest, that master–disciple relationship exists because of the honor of teaching the Commissioner of Land Affairs’s son and the donations my family provided.”
He continued.
“My current level is only thanks to my own effort.”
“…”
He’s really firm about this.
“I want to formally serve you, Deputy Merchant Lord, as my master.”
“How old are you, Young Master?”
“I’m thirty–one this year.”
“I’m twenty–one. A master ten years younger than the disciple? People will laugh.”
“Let them laugh! I don’t care.”
“…”
Well, I definitely do care.
“Until you give your permission, I won’t move from this spot.”
I snuck a glance at Young Master Yeon Ju-hyeok’s bodyguard standing next to him.
But the moment my eyes met theirs, the bodyguard dropped to their knees as well.
“Please, I beg you, grant my lord’s request.”
H–hey now?
You really shouldn’t be doing this.
This is putting me in a real bind.
This guy’s stubbornness is tougher than steel tendons; he won’t give up easily.
Sure, I could turn cold and just walk away, or I could slowly talk him down and make him give up.
But the reason I’m hesitating is that in my previous life he helped me quite a lot.
He died protecting me all the way to the very end.
‘Meeting my lord, serving my lord, and being able to die for my lord – I don’t regret a single thing. It’s all joy to me.’
With those words, he charged into the enemy and fell in battle.
I still haven’t forgotten the last words he said.
I looked at him with a complicated gaze.
“Couldn’t you go find yourself a more impressive master than me?”
“To me, Deputy Merchant Lord Eun is an excellent master.”
“Hu, fine. Then let’s do this instead.”
At my words, his gaze fixed on me.
“We won’t formally tie a master–disciple relationship. To be honest, that’s way too much of a burden for me. And it’s possible that what you’re feeling right now is just a momentary impulse.”
I gently continued.
“So for three years, train faithfully according to my instructions, and if you still feel the same after that, come find me. But if you don’t accept my proposal, then we’ll treat all of this like it never happened. What will you do?”
He pondered for a moment at my question, then nodded.
“So, you’re saying you will at least teach me martial arts. All right. Three years will go by in a flash.”
I know that too.
It feels like I just came back to being fifteen, and I’m already twenty–one.
And I also know that he won’t give up even three years from now.
The reason I set a three–year grace period was because his training direction was already decided.
By then he’ll do just fine even without me officially becoming his master.
And I never promised that I’d become his master in three years.
I only told him to come find me.
“So now, how about you both get up.”
At my words, the two men rose to their feet.
“Listen carefully.”
I told him about the training he needed to do.
“First, stop lurking around Dongting Lake. The experts at the level you want to spar with are all people who understand the tangled web of debts and grudges in the martial world. They won’t go out of their way to stir up troublesome incidents.”
I went on.
“I’m sure you’re planning to provoke people just to get sparring matches with strong experts…”
His face flushed, which told me I’d hit the mark.
“The only experts who’d fall for that kind of provocation are Unorthodox Sect types who don’t care what happens afterward. And their methods are always cowardly and vicious.”
Young Master Yeon Ju-hyeok’s bodyguard nodded at my words. From the look in those eyes, it felt like I had scratched exactly where they itched.
“You only get one life. And your life doesn’t belong to you alone. It also belongs to your parents, your brothers and sisters, and your wife and children.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And…”
I ordered him to repeat the three basic training routines the Eunpoong Division Escort Guards of the Eunhae Merchant Group did every day, along with the nine basic sword forms, a thousand times each day.
Of course, it won’t be easy.
But this is what’s going to change his entire life.
I looked up at the moon in the sky.
Wow, time’s gotten a lot more delayed than I thought.
“Then I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Allow me to see you off…”
“Do you remember everything I told you to do?”
“Uh…”
“You don’t need to see me off, so hurry up and write it down before you forget.”
“Understood.”
Pushing away his offer to escort me, I once again left that place, guided by the attendant.
As I followed the attendant, I quietly watched for a chance to slip away somewhere else.
Unlike the outer residence, the inner residence’s layout was a bit complicated, which fortunately made it easier to slip off unnoticed.
I did feel a little sorry for the poor attendant who would panic once they realized I’d disappeared. But there was no helping it.
I focused my Qi sense, searching for the Unorthodox Qi I’d felt earlier.
The Fourth Young Master should be there.
Huh?
But I wasn’t sensing just one Unorthodox Qi.
Still, since several presences were all gathered in the same building, it felt obvious that someone had been dispatched to assist the Fourth Young Master and was staying together with him.
Whoosh!
I shot my body in that direction with my lightness skill.
A short while later.
I arrived at one of the buildings.
It was a detached residence about the same size as the Second Young Master’s quarters. But maybe because he wasn’t married yet, there were far fewer people staying there.
I felt out the presences inside and moved toward where the Unorthodox Qi was strongest.
But…
The person there wasn’t the Fourth Young Master.
Who is that?
Judging from the clothes, this wasn’t anyone of high status – more like an attendant or servant.
As they stepped out through the main gate, the way they furtively scanned their surroundings looked really suspicious.
Wandering around in the middle of the night was strange enough, but even though this was where they lived, they were still nervously checking all around them…
That meant they really didn’t want anyone to catch them doing whatever they were doing.
My instincts were telling me I had to follow this person. Sometimes you have to trust your instincts, and this was exactly one of those times.
I carefully tailed them from behind.
Reaching a tree in the inner residence, they pulled something from their sleeve and tucked it into a knot hole in the trunk.
It was set slightly above normal eye level and cleverly hidden, so you wouldn’t notice it at a glance.
Fwee–!
They blew a whistle.
It was a whistle that made almost no sound, but when they blew it, I could clearly feel a peculiar kind of qi.
Then they went back into the inner residence.
After I checked the surrounding qi and confirmed no one else was nearby, I moved over to the spot.
I took out the thing that person had hidden.
It was a letter.
I unfolded the letter and read it.
“…!”
My instincts had been right after all. Following that suspicious person had been the correct choice.
[Reporting in. Someone came from Baekran’s household today and delivered the news that the illness has improved. However, No. 26 clearly reported that the falling of the blossom was imminent, and I heard a withdrawal order was given. Confirmation and follow–up measures are required.]
Baekran was clearly referring to Lady Jaryeong.
The white magnolia, also called baekryeon, drops all its petals after the first frost, so its actual blooming period is shorter than you’d think.
In other words, it’s a flower that quickly sheds its blossoms, which is why they used that expression.
I felt goosebumps crawl over my whole body.
Putting this letter here was obviously for regular reports.
If this had fallen back into their hands, what would’ve happened?
Being a huge headache would have been the least of it – Lady Jaryeong’s life would’ve been in danger.
I continued reading the rest.
[It seems the fourth branch has caught on. It appears necessary to remove it soon.]
Huh? What are they talking about now?
The “fourth branch” was clearly referring to the fourth son.
But saying he’d caught on only made sense if the assumption was that he hadn’t known anything in the first place.
What? Then what does that mean?
So the Fourth Young Master wasn’t an accomplice – he was being used?
I decided to shelve that issue for later and first figure out what to do with this letter…
After hesitating a bit, I soon realized there was no need to agonize over it.
I could just say I happened to find it.
All kinds of unexpected things happen in this world. A bird could land on a tree, then knock the letter loose as it flew away.
Huh? Wait… a bird?
I sensed a very faint but definite Unorthodox Qi up in the sky and suddenly understood how they collected this letter.
They’d been using a trained bird to send and receive it. The reason that person had blown the whistle was to summon the bird.
Honestly, I’d been wondering how they planned to retrieve a letter hidden inside the inner residence, but it turned out there was a way.
Just then, I felt someone’s presence approaching from over there.
A familiar Qi. It was the attendant who had been guiding me.
Perfect timing.
“Oh? So you were here.”
They ran toward me, their face pale, and only then let out a sigh of relief.
“I’ve been looking for you for quite a while.”
“Ha ha ha. I’m sorry. Something caught my eye, so I stopped to take a look and ended up losing track of you. I was trying to find my way, but… shouting loudly felt like it would bother everyone else…”
“So you got lost and wound up here.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“In any case, I’m glad I found you. To be honest, people often lose their way here in the inner residence. They’ve expanded and expanded it so many times.”
“Ah, so that’s why I couldn’t find my way. I’m usually not bad with directions… it was really a bit of a predicament.”
I smoothly continued.
“Oh, and I found this lying on the ground.”
I held out the letter as I spoke.
“A bird that had been perched on this tree seemed to get startled by my presence, flapped off, and dropped this.”
“Isn’t that… a letter?”
“Yes, but… the contents are a bit strange. Would it be possible to see the Lord Commissioner right now?”
They hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“It should be all right. His Excellency usually hasn’t retired to his quarters yet at this hour.”
And so I headed straight for the Commissioner’s office. He had said he’d handle the remaining work from the office in the outer residence.
I received permission for an audience and entered the office.
“So then, what brings you here at this late hour?”
“I came to see you because of this letter.”
I handed over the letter and explained the circumstances. Of course, I left out the real story.
The Hunan Commissioner of Land Affairs read the letter, and his expression hardened.
He understood as well.
That there was something wrong with this letter – because today we had already informed him that Lady Jaryeong’s condition was improving, and that very content was written there.
“I felt like this was something you absolutely needed to know, so I came even though it was late at night.”
“Hu, thank you.”
He glared at the letter for a while, then suddenly let out a short laugh.
“Since things have turned out this way, I’ll ask you plainly. What is your real reason for coming here?”
“Sir?”
“Don’t tell me again that you owed a favor to Guizhou’s Commissioner of Land Affairs and couldn’t refuse his request. It would be more accurate to say you made a deal with the Guizhou Commissioner, wouldn’t it?”
Wow… this guy should really be setting up a fortune–telling stall.
“And you, getting lost in the inner residence? Don’t be ridiculous. Someone of your level?”
He continued.
“You have a reason for coming here, and I’m guessing that reason is related to this letter, isn’t it?”
His insight was no joke.
Well, like the Guizhou Commissioner, the Hunan Commissioner was also on the younger side.
To deal with this matter, I’d looked into him beforehand, and the word was that he was a quite capable official.
That was why he’d caught the current emperor’s eye and been promoted quickly, eventually being appointed Commissioner of Land Affairs for Hunan.
This province has abundant resources and vast grain fields, so it’s a fairly important region.
I looked at him.
It was fortunate I’d found this letter.
Because now I knew the Hunan Commissioner had nothing to do with this incident.
If the Murim Alliance had been involved, His Majesty the Emperor would’ve been heartbroken.
I smiled inwardly.
Someone competent like this could become a very reliable ally for me.
That’s why I’d come – to ask for his help.
I needed his support to stir up this household.
I cupped my fists and spoke.
“To be completely honest, I should start by telling you that Lady Jaryeong’s condition wasn’t a simple illness but the symptoms of poisoning.”
“Poisoning?”
“Yes. And the ironic thing is, the poison was in the tea sent from this side.”
“What? Is that true?”
The Commissioner stared at me in shock at my words.
“Yes. It’s the truth.”
“How could something like this…”
He let out a sigh.
“So I’ve come here to uncover the truth behind it.”
“This matter is serious even for me. Someone tried to harm the woman who is to marry into our family! And Jaryeong, of all people…”
That was a pretty affectionate way to call her.
“It seems you care a lot for Lady Jaryeong.”
He nodded.
“There’s a regular gathering where all the Commissioners of Land Affairs meet. Our families got to know each other there, and over time we grew close.”
“I see.”
“I wanted to make her my daughter–in–law no matter what, so I pushed for the engagement. And yet something like this happens…”
He furrowed his brow.
“Hu, it seems something far more horrible has been going on than I imagined.”
“Sir?”
Wait, did that mean the Hunan Commissioner had already sensed what was happening behind the scenes?
–TL Notes–
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